Free Republic

It seems that federal officials have worked overtime to undermine public trust. Benghazi, the IRS abuses, the “fast and furious” gun-running fiasco, the solar power boondoggles, and the seemingly endless implementation problems of the Affordable Care Act—all these scandals have common themes: arrogant and abusive bureaucracy, double dealing, lame excuses, and legal hairsplitting. The outrages listed above can be placed squarely at the doorstep of the White House. But one scandal is truly bipartisan: How key administration and congressional officials connived to create, under cover of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, special health insurance subsidies for members...

Trying to align lawmakers with the people they represent, Congress three years ago decided that when the new healthcare plan took effect, members would give up their platinum health benefits and enroll in the online marketplaces created for millions of other Americans. In typical congressional fashion, however, things have not worked out exactly as advertised. While many members of Congress are indeed signing up for health coverage through the District of Columbia exchange — which was designated as the provider for all members — their experiences have been significantly better than those of average consumers in several respects, including more...

Regulations issued by the Obama administration this week would require members of Congress to buy one of the top-tier insurance plans from the ObamaCare exchanges. The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House sent guidance to members of Congress this week, based on a directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), that says they must choose plans from the "gold" level of insurance coverage, not "bronze" or "silver" plans. "Platinum" is the only higher level of coverage under the exchanges. "For plan year 2014, Members of Congress and designated congressional staff will choose from 112 options in the Gold...

The hits from Obamacare just keep coming. As is typical with progressive liberal policies, us meek peasants have to live in the nightmare world that they have created while the liberal elites and their allies do not have to adhere to the same laws and rules. This was hammered home again this week when it was announced that the federal government would be subsidizing the health insurance premiums of Congressional staffers. The Office of Personnel Management has stated that members of Congress and their staffs would get the federal subsidy on the new government-run "exchanges", but not be "eligible for...

Senators, representatives, and their top aides will be able to stay under the current subsidized health care system. That means they will continue to get a taxpayer-funded contribution to help pay for their health care premiums. A last-minute deal worked out before Congress went on their five-week summer vacation gets lawmakers out of the original language of Obamacare, which said members and their aides had to use its health care plans. Republicans like Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana slammed the move, calling it a "behind-closed-doors deal, announced right after Congress is safely away from the crime scene." "This is exactly...

It’s official, the United States has a Ruling Class and it is no longer being hidden or denied.  Obama and the Congress have just decided that they don’t want to play by the same rules as the rest of us. Big surprise that the Office of Personnel Management, under pressure from Capitol Hill and Obama, has said that they will issue a ruling that states government can keep making contributions to the health care premiums of members of Congress and their aides.  In other words, “we” the “serfs” will be paying for Congress and their staff to keep their “Cadillac...

<p>To adapt H.L. Mencken, nobody ever went broke underestimating the cynicism and self-dealing of the American political class. Witness their ad-libbed decision, at the 11th hour and on the basis of no legal authority, to create a special exemption for themselves from the ObamaCare health coverage that everybody else is mandated to buy.</p>

Jay Leno took a comedic swipe at ObamaCare Friday. After informing a somewhat stunned crowd about the exemption members of Congress were given from the Affordable Care Act, the NBC Tonight Show host said, "Why don't they call it what it really is - the 'Do As We Say, Not As We Do Act?'" JAY LENO: Well, it was reported today that the White House just approved an exemption in ObamaCare coverage for Congress and members of their staff. Notice the reaction from the crowd? Not very pleased to hear this news, were they? But I digress: LENO: Yeah, well,...

As everyday Americans face healthcare premium rate shock thanks to Obamacare, Congress and their staffs have just been exempted from having to pay thousands of dollars in extra cash for their healthcare next year. How? Their plans are being heavily subsidized by taxpayers. More from POLITICO: Lawmakers and staff can breathe easy — their health care tab is not going to soar next year. The Office of Personnel Management, under heavy pressure from Capitol Hill, will issue a ruling that says the government can continue to make a contribution to the health care premiums of members of Congress and their...

August 2, 2013 THIS WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO THROW UP Greta Van Susteran What Congress just did to you is appalling. I would not do this to you in a million years and I doubt you would do this either. It is indecent….just WRONG. Read the previous Politico story posted where it reports that Congress, as it races out the door for 5 week vacation, exempted itself (and staff) from Obamacare. So let me get this straight….they push OBAMACARE on EVERY OTHER AMERICAN except themselves. Really? Unbelievable, isn’t it? And it gets more disgusting….the article says there was a...

<p>LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- The White House has approved a deal that will exempt members of Congress and their staff from some of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, Politico reported late Thursday.</p>

For the past few months, members of Congress and their staffs have been discussing behind closed doors the worrying proposition that they will be forced off their popular health insurance program and onto the federal insurance exchanges set up under Obamacare. Those concerns reached a fevered pitch this week as President Obama, while making a rare visit to Capitol Hill, assured lawmakers that they and their staffs wouldn’t be foisted onto the same health exchange as millions of Americans. Then late last night, news broke that Obama had “solved” the problem, although no details were available. Obama and many in...