Yesterday, I wrote about the hypocrisy of Republicans and conservative Democrats who have been telling us that it’s “too expensive” to extend to all Americans the generous single-payer health insurance coverage that they and their families, as federal employees, enjoy at Americans’ expense.
Today, Los Angeles Times reporters Mark Z. Barabak and Faye Fiore have a lengthy, detailed piece about just what it is that elected officials like John Boehner and Ben Nelson happily accept for themselves but would deny to the rest of us (emphasis mine):
Among the advantages: a choice of 10 healthcare plans that provide access to a national network of doctors, as well as several HMOs that serve each member’s home state. By contrast, 85% of private companies offering health coverage provide their employees one type of plan — take it or leave it.
[…]
In all, taxpayers spent about $15 billion last year to insure 8.5 million federal workers and their dependents, including postal service employees, according to the Office of Personnel Management.Generous plans are available in private industry. But the federal coverage far surpasses that enjoyed by 70 million Americans who are underinsured and at financial risk in the event of a major health crisis — not to mention the estimated 46 million who have no medical insurance.
“For the average worker, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan would probably look quite attractive,” said Pete Sepp, a spokesman for the National Taxpayers Union, a pinch-penny advocacy group.
[…]
Federal employees also enjoy a significant benefit denied the average American: There is no such thing as a preexisting condition, which keeps many sick people from obtaining insurance. Once hired, federal workers are eligible for coverage no matter their health, with no waiting period.
Members of Congress who support single-payer — or at minimum a robust public coverage option — for all Americans and are fighting to pass legislation providing that, deserve our respect. One House member, however, has gone a giant step further. Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI) “has refused to accept federal healthcare benefits … until every American can enjoy the same coverage as federal lawmakers.”
Kagen recently had knee surgery, writing checks for more than $4,500 after bargaining for a reduced-rate MRI and a 50% discount on the operation. (He is still dickering over the hospital bill.)
“If every member of Congress put their heads on their pillow every night like I do . . . knowing this could be the night I lose my house, we’d fix healthcare in a week,” said Kagen, who spent decades as a doctor in the Green Bay area before winning office in 2006.
Kagen said his wife and three of his four children have health coverage. But not his oldest daughter, 28, who can’t afford insurance.
Emphasis mine.
Via Memeorandum.
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