Some of the Senate’s most vulnerable members in the 2014 elections are giving up government contributions toward their own health insurance under Obamacare next year as voter sentiment turns against the president’s signature program.
Several are signing up for their home state exchanges instead of Washington’s, allowing them to say they’re in the same boat as constituents.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell plans to turn over his federal contribution to charity. Wyoming Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, who has a primary challenge from Liz Cheney, is still deciding where to sign up, but he, too, plans to decline the federal payment, his office said. Democratic Sens. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mark Begich of Alaska and Jeff Merkley of Oregon are all rejecting the government contribution and planning to enroll in their home state exchange. Others are reviewing their options.
Members of Congress have to decide how to get health insurance in 2014 by Dec. 9, when, under the Affordable Care Act, they will get kicked off the federal employees plan.
The decision can have political consequences as Obamacare becomes increasingly toxic with voters amid problems with HealthCare.gov and health plan cancellation notices. Like most large companies, the federal government has paid for a portion of its employees’ — including lawmakers — health insurance for decades. But now, it’s been entwined with the politics of Obamacare and charges of “exemptions” and “special treatment.”
The health law is already playing out on the campaign trail. Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group backed by the Koch brothers, last week dropped $4 million in anti-Obamacare ads targeting Democrats, including Begich, Hagan and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.
North Carolina Republicans circulated a transcript Wednesday of Hagan pledging in August 2009 to enroll in the law. Hours later, a Hagan representative told POLITICO that the senator will join her state’s exchange without the federal payment.
Most other senators who are up for reelection in 2014, including Landrieu, Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), say they’re still considering the possibilities.
Even those eligible for Medicare — age 65 or older — are looking into exchange options. People on Medicare are allowed to sign up in the Small Business Health Options Program exchanges though not the individual state markets, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
“I’m looking at all the options right now — shopping around,” said Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.). “I have a lot of options. I’m Medicare-age to start with.”
“I know that I’m going to be in the exchange — all my staff is,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). But he’s still deciding between Washington and Tennessee.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) plans to join the Washington exchange and accept the federal contribution toward his insurance cost, his office said.
Those choosing their home state exchanges are making a calculation based on more than their personal health preferences given the harsh politics of Obamacare.
“Sen. Merkley thinks it is important to have the same enrollment experience as other Oregonians and will give up his employer contribution to enroll through Cover Oregon,” a spokeswoman said. Oregon, a liberal state that backed the president’s law, has had some of the worst online enrollment problems of any state exchange.
Begich posted on Twitter a picture of his completed application through HealthCare.gov, the federal exchange website, which has suffered major problems since it launched Oct.1.
“I want to have the exact same experience and go through the same steps as other Alaskans when it comes to signing up for health care, which is why I have decided to refuse any federal subsidy and have signed up on Alaska’s federally run marketplace,” Begich explained in a statement.
McConnell said he and all of his staff — including leadership staff, who could have stayed on the federal plan — will move to the exchange. “Unlike the entire Obama administration, which is trying to convince Americans that the government exchanges are great but is not participating in them, the senator is not exempting himself or his staff from the exchanges,” said McConnell spokesman John Ashbrook.
One of McConnell’s chief lieutenants, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), said he will continue getting health coverage through his home state.
Even senators from Democratic-leaning states are thinking about the choices. “My wife and I are having conversations about that,” Delaware Sen. Chris Coons explained. He’s probably going to go through the Washington exchange along with his staff. But he added, “I have already created an account with the Delaware exchange to go through the experience to see how it works, and I’m listening to constituents’ concerns about how the exchanges are functioning.”
Choosing a state exchange rather than the Washington exchange could hurt lawmakers’ bottom line after leaving office: Without participating in the Washington exchange, they might not be eligible for federal health insurance and the usual government contribution in their retirement plans.
Until this year, many lawmakers were on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, in which the government paid up to about 75 percent of the cost. That structure is similar to the shared-cost arrangement that many large employers offer their workers.
But accepting the federal contribution became more controversial this fall after Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) pushed for an end to the government’s payments into federal employees’ plans, depicting it as a special perk that the Obama administration included for its allies on Capitol Hill.
Obamacare requires lawmakers to join the new insurance exchanges, or they can find other coverage, such as through a spouse’s insurance plan or forgo coverage and pay a penalty.
If they sign up through the Washington small-business health options program, the federal government contribution can continue. Under the Washington plan, the federal government can contribute up to 75 percent of a lawmaker’s total premium — no more than $5,114 per year for an individual or $11,378 for a family. The contribution formula is the same one used for other federal employees.
Of course, signing up can be a problem for any lawmaker — not just senators in tight contests. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) tried last Thursday to enroll in the Washington insurance exchange — and got an error message, according to a statement from his office.
“Like many Americans, my experience was pretty frustrating,” he said. But hours later, he was enrolled.
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