House members and Senators must decide by Thursday how many of thousands of congressional aides will be placed on the District of Columbia’s health insurance exchange under a controversial provision of Obamacare.
Lawmakers will have to declare whether their aides are “official office” staff or not, according to a memo sent to all House offices by Daniel Strodel, the chamber’s chief administrative officer. “Official office” staff — aides paid entirely out of the member’s expense allowance — will be required to join “DC Health Link.” Members of Congress or their “designees” will decide “which staff work in the official office of each member.”
Lawmakers will also join the Obamacare exchanges.
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Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) staff will get their health insurance from the D.C. exchange. The Kentucky Republican has designated all of his aides part of his personal office, which means his staff will enter the D.C. exchange.
“None of the McConnell staff will be designated to remain in the FEHBP [Federal Employee Health Benefits Program],” said Michael Brumas, a spokesman for McConnell. “Unlike the entire Obama administration — who are trying to convince Americans that the government exchanges are great — we are not exempt from the exchanges,”
Hill aides who don’t receive a designation of official office staff — that is, committee and leadership aides — will be allowed to continue to get their insurance under the FEHBP.
Whether or not they are designated official or leadership, the federal government will continue to make premium payments to help offset the cost of lawmakers’ and staffers’ insurance plans.
This decision is already becoming politically sensitive on Capitol Hill. It was the topic of much discussion at a Tuesday morning meeting of the House Republican Conference.
Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) office would not say whether it will require its aides to join the exchange.
“We do not have any decision to announce, and will not until the speaker talks with our staff later today,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said.
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Members of the Senate leadership and top lawmakers on each committee are able to choose whether their staff remains on the FEHBP or enters the health exchange. Three Senate leaders — Patty Murray (D-Wash.), John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) — have decided to have their staff obtain their health insurance from the exchange.
The remaining five Senate leaders — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) — have until Oct. 31 to choose whether their staffers remain on the federal program or go onto the exchanges, according to a memo sent to Senate staffers.
The issue of health insurance for members and aides has become a serious political controversy in recent months and was interjected into the 16-day government shutdown.
With the shutdown looming on Sept. 30, Boehner threw his support behind legislation barring the federal government from making health insurance premium payments. Boehner privately negotiated with Reid to keep the federal contribution to the program.
The Senate rejected the measure, and some House Republicans were upset by Boehner’s decision to back the provision.
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