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President Barack Obama’s health-care law could cause big headaches for members of Congress and their staff, but efforts to address the potential problem are drawing complaints that congressional leaders are trying to protect their own.

At issue is a provision that requires lawmakers and their staff to participate in the health-insurance exchanges that are being set up to help individuals who do not have group coverage to get affordable policies.

The provision had come from a Republican critic of the health care law who wanted to be sure that Congress got a taste of its own medicine.

For congressional employees a big looming question is whether they will, in the exchange, be able to continue having their premiums subsidized by the government — or suddenly have to pay 100% of their premiums. That potential outcome has some congressional officials worried that it will produce a mass exodus of employees who cannot afford the big increase in health-care costs.

Democratic and Republican congressional leaders have privately discussed ways to address the potential problem, which will hinge on a future interpretation of the law by the Office of Personnel Management. Those quiet talks blew up Thursday when Politico reported that congressional leaders’ efforts amounted to seeking to exempt Congress from the health-care law. Tea party activists and other critics exploded with fury.

“If they want to repeal Obamacare for themselves, then repeal it for all Americans,” said Jenny Beth Martin, a spokesman for Tea Party Patriots. “Congress is not above the laws they burden us with.’’

Both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) have been involved in the discussions. But Michael Steel, a Boehner spokesman, said after the Politico story was published that the speaker told Democratic leaders he does not want it to be solved with a provision slipped quietly into legislation.

”The speaker would like to see resolution of this problem, along with the other nightmares created by Washington Democrats’ health law, which is why he supports full repeal,’’ said Mr. Steel. “In the meantime, it is Democrats’ problem to solve. He will not sneak any language into bills to solve it for them – and the Democratic leadership knows that.

“Democrats say that the effort does not amount to an effort by Congress to exempt itself from a law imposed on others.”

“Whatever the outcome is, everyone has to be treated the same,’’ said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D..,Calif.).

A senior Democratic aide said no changes are being considered with respect to members of Congress, only their staff who face a unique problem in entering the insurance exchange. Most people who will participate will be individuals who did not have access to employer subsidized health insurance– not large-company employees who, like congressional staff, have their premiums subsidized by their employers.

A key source of confusion about the health-care law is whether, once congressional employees get their insurance from the exchange, the federal government will be able to continue subsidizing their premiums. That is subject to interpretation by the Office of Personnel Management, but leaders began looking for possible legislative changes if the agency rules that employees would have to pay 100% of their premiums.

Adam Jentleson, a Reid spokesman, said the senator believed that no legislative fix would be needed.

“Sen. Reid is committed to ensuring that all members of Congress and Congressional staff experience the benefits of the Affordable Care Act in exactly the same way as every other American,’’ Mr. Jentleson said. “He believes that this is the effect of the legislation as written, and that therefore no legislative fix is necessary.”

FortWayne says

“Sen. Reid is committed to ensuring that all members of Congress and Congressional staff experience the benefits of the Affordable Care Act in exactly the same way as every other American,’’ Mr. Jentleson said. “He believes that this is the effect of the legislation as written, and that therefore no legislative fix is necessary.”

Reid hasn't read it. The Congressional committee staff, who had access to the drafting process, exempted themselves from the start:

"The mandate on health exchanges doesn’t cover everyone. Aides in lawmakers’ personal offices must obtain health care through the exchanges but not committee staff."

Reid is already exempt because he's 73 and on Medicare. The younger legislators and their personal office staff are merely trying to add themselves to the exemption that the committee staff had already written for themselves.

But here's the problem, FortWayne: as you point your finger of derision at Democrats, you have three fingers pointing back at yourself, because you personally with your bigoted nonsense are the reason why Republicans lost. I don't have a vote in Republican primaries, I didn't tell them to nominate Romnesia, so they don't listen to me. If Republicans had nominated Ron Paul or Bill Weld or Gary Johnson, Obamacare would be merely a funny anecdote instead of a looming disaster. I didn't tell the Republicans to campaign on bigotry, but YOU DID, and YOU STILL DO. The Democratic politicians and their patronage networks whom you fear and loathe thank you, from the bottoms of their hearts, and from the decks of their lobbyists' yachts and mansions, for your self-defeating bigotry. They count on your inability to decide for yourself, without government instruction, whether you should be married to a man or a woman. They profit from your fear that, if the government didn't tell you whom to get married to, you or your spouse might run off and elope with someone of the same sex. They've turned your fear and ignorance into a gold mine at your expense, and for that they thank you, because they know they can count on you to continue defeating yourself for them.

Too bad that the insurers got their tentacles in the bill in the long period before it passed. The meat of the original plan was good, but we ended up with a bloated snausage filled with the ground-up, reconstituted entrails of the old system.

If Obama had *actually* "shoved Obamacare down our throats" instead of democratically selling it to the people over two years, we would have gotten a system worth having.

Obamacare as it exists today is mainly a gift to the insurers.

Automan Empire says

Obamacare as it exists today is mainly a gift to the insurers.

Fucking Racist, how can you say that?

I hear one of the 'architects' of Obama-care, Senator Baucus out of Montana, recently said Obama-care "is headed for a trainwreck". Also, he's facing a tough re-election, knowing the voters of MT are not happy being force-fed this shit-pie that Max help 'craft'.....When one of the creators of a Quagmire bill that controls 1/6th of the economy says it's "headed for a trainwreck", ....... we. are. fucked.

http://michellemalkin.com/2013/04/18/key-architect-of-obamacare-this-thing-is-headed-for-a-train-wreck/

AverageBear says

Senator Baucus out of Montana, recently said Obama-care "is headed for a trainwreck"

He did say that, but he tried to blame the administration's implementation rather than take responsibility for what he wrote. He was also facing a tough re-election, but he decided to retire instead. He and his staff took million$ from the companies that stand to profit from the legislation, and I imagine the revolving doormen will embrace him with open arms to share in the loot.