HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - House bill would make health care a 'right, responsibility'

gdpawel · 08-16-2009, 04:36 PM

From what I understand, if House and Senate members choose to use the Capitol attending physician and the Army and Navy hospitals while in D.C., they pay an annual fee (equivalent to being part of an HMO). If they seek private medical care while in D.C. or back in their home states, they use their private health insurance. If they are over 65, they use Medicare and whatever private supplemental insurance they may carry. And, of course, they paid into Medicare while working just like everyone else.

Members of Congress are eligible - like all other federal employees - to sign up for one of the "cafeteria" health insurance plans offered all other federal employees. If they sign up for one of these policies, the federal government pays two-thirds of the premium and the Congressman pays the other one-third. This is comparable to insurance offered by many private employers.

The President and members of Congress are among the more than 8 million federal employees, retirees and dependents who get their insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the country.

Because of its size, the program offers federal workers dozens of health plans to choose from, instead of the two or three that corporations and businesses typically offer their workers.

Like everyone else in the federal plan, what the President and lawmakers pay depends on the level of coverage they choose. On average, the federal government pays 72 percent of the total premium. It's probably similar to coverage that people in large established corporations get.

08-16-2009, 04:36 PM	#9
gdpawel Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,080	Re: House bill would make health care a 'right, responsibility' From what I understand, if House and Senate members choose to use the Capitol attending physician and the Army and Navy hospitals while in D.C., they pay an annual fee (equivalent to being part of an HMO). If they seek private medical care while in D.C. or back in their home states, they use their private health insurance. If they are over 65, they use Medicare and whatever private supplemental insurance they may carry. And, of course, they paid into Medicare while working just like everyone else. Members of Congress are eligible - like all other federal employees - to sign up for one of the "cafeteria" health insurance plans offered all other federal employees. If they sign up for one of these policies, the federal government pays two-thirds of the premium and the Congressman pays the other one-third. This is comparable to insurance offered by many private employers. The President and members of Congress are among the more than 8 million federal employees, retirees and dependents who get their insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the country. Because of its size, the program offers federal workers dozens of health plans to choose from, instead of the two or three that corporations and businesses typically offer their workers. Like everyone else in the federal plan, what the President and lawmakers pay depends on the level of coverage they choose. On average, the federal government pays 72 percent of the total premium. It's probably similar to coverage that people in large established corporations get.