All Senate Republican Staffers To Sign Up For Obamacare

One of the unspoken complaints about Obamacare (in addition to it soaking up all and then some of the $380/year in low gas price “savings” as a result of the oil plunge) is that if it was so good for the general population, then why are most Congressional staffers exempt from its provisions? That is about to change after Senate Republican staffers will be required to obtain health insurance through ObamaCare’s exchanges under a rule passed Wednesday by the GOP Conference.
According to Politico, the proposal from Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) means that Senate Republicans will designate their staff as “official,” moving them automatically onto the marketplaces.
A loophole used in both chambers allows lawmakers to designate staff as “unofficial” or “official staff,” which permits them to keep their insurance coverage under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.
“Republican senators made a strong, principled statement today in passing my resolution,” Vitter said in a statement. “Washington should have to live under ObamaCare just like everybody else until we repeal it. And we won’t be complicit in Obama’s illegal rule designed to protect Washington insiders.”
Vitter is an outspoken critic of some lawmakers’ decision to keep their staff off the marketplaces.

This post was published at Zero Hedge on 12/11/2014.