Members of Congress Confused About How Health Care Reform Affects Them Personally

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Health Care

Three weeks after President Obama signed his landmark health care overhaul into law, Americans are still seeking answers about how the reforms will impact them -- and it turns out members of Congress are as well.

A new report from the Congressional Research Service concludes the new laws may inadvertently kick members of Congress and some staffers out of their current health care plans, the New York Times reports.

Currently, congressmen and congressional staffers participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (F.E.H.B.P.). However, lawmakers added a provision into the legislation dictating that they would be required to buy health care coverage through the state-based exchanges the new laws establish. The intent of the provision was to make good on the promise that all Americans would receive the same coverage as members of Congress. The problem is, those exchanges will not be in place until 2014, and Congress may technically be forced out of the F.E.H.B.P. before then.

"It is unclear whether members of Congress and Congressional staff who are currently participating in F.E.H.B.P. may be able to retain this coverage," the CRS wrote in a 8,100-word memorandum, the Times reports.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

Times reporter Robert Pear acknowledges the question hanging over the report: "If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?"

Whether they did or not, regular citizens are still trying to find the answers for themselves. National Public Radio reports that government officials, physicians and nonprofit groups are receiving "an avalanche of questions" from people confused about how the health care reforms will impact them.

Traffic on the House of Representatives' health care hotline, designed to help congressmen answer constituents' questions, is up 70 percent, NPR reports. Tens of thousands of people are seeking answers from groups like the pro-reform consumer group Families USA and the senior citizens' advocacy group AARP.

Meanwhile, Republicans are not backing away from their plan to campaign on repealing -- and perhaps "replacing" -- the health care legislation. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) asserted Monday on a talk radio show that repealing the reforms remained his "No. 1 priority," Politico reports. The promise to repeal the legislation, however, would be hard to keep, and Republicans are split on how to address the issue.

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
Follow on Twitter »

12 Comments Have Your Say
Email Story Send to a Friend
Share This Tell Your Friends
Tweet This Tweet This
More Share It

Add a Comment See all 12 Comments


by reformss April 14, 2010 3:48 PM EDT: Now Republicans the party of NO and tea Baggers want raising money to repeal health care reform.
Who will give them money any way ? Well , Still many idiots out there :
- If People were stupid enough to buy Salin Palin books than more likely They will believe health care bill can be repealed.
- If Those people are OK with Mitt Romney shepherd a near-universal health-insurance system into law as governor of Massachusetts while he opposes Mr. Obama's health-care policy ,Than I am not surprise when They give money to GOP.

No wonder Salin Palin became multi millionaire over night while Republican National Chairman Michael Steele Enjoyed $2000 lunch at sex club in Hollywood .Tea party leaders enjoy Private jet and Limo ride at FREE money from many Idiots around Country.
Many people don't know most of policies in US are results of fighting between big corporations.

Same thing happened to health care .the bill was the final result of the fight between insurers and hospitals ,drug makers .And as you see hospitals and drug makers became winners.
Now ,What make You think they can repeal health care bill ? repeal what ?
- Repeal Children can not be denied by insurance companies because of pre existing condition ?
- Repeal College students can not stay with parent policies until 26 ?
- Repeal insurance companies can not deny pre existing conditions ?
Well if 3 parts above seems like no away they can repeal than what can they repeal ?
- Repeal mandate every body has to buy insurance ?? ( now you are not talking about fighting with hospital ,drug makers but you want to fight with insurers too !! sincere insurers can not deny pre existing conditions they need mandatory so they can have more customers to cover those pre existing conditions ).
- Repeal subsides low income people ( how can you mandate poor people to buy insurance when they have no money ?)
- Repeal increasing tax to rich people ( where will you get money to subsides poor people ? increase deficit by borrow more from china? )
As you can see any part of the health care bill relate to each other .You can not take any part off .
Any candidate promise repeal health care bill is foolish .They just want to take advantage of people to make money for their own purpose.; Reply to this comment


by pollroller1 April 14, 2010 8:46 AM EDT: ha ha ha ha ha This is just too funny.; Reply to this comment


by sam_38 April 14, 2010 12:47 AM EDT: We pay members of Congress to do two things: Write legislation, and vote on legislation. If they don't even read it, what exactly are they doing all day with their big staffs and offices and taxpayer paid salaries?; Reply to this comment


by tronking April 13, 2010 3:20 PM EDT: For all the people out there who said that congress was doing what was right for the people, all I can say is ha ha. They forced a bill through that they had no clue about because their partisan leaders told them to. Now they are finding out that it may not have been as good as they were told it was. Well hind sight is 20/20.; Reply to this comment

by pasmalltown April 13, 2010 3:17 PM EDT

Could this be the REAL reason why all the Repubs voted against the health care bill and why Boehner wants it repealed so badly? They are against all new entitlement programs, especially when it effects them in a personal way....

Reply to this comment


by chevyhotrod April 13, 2010 3:45 PM EDT: They are against entitlment programs that will bankrupt The United States of America.

We cannot afford the ones we currently have, how can we afford new ones?


by retm-w April 13, 2010 6:47 PM EDT: pasmalitown

Wonder how fast Reid and Pelosi, will make a change to this. Nothing has been done about the Doc fix that Pelosi promised would be taken care of as soon as congress returned from their Easter vacation. Also the MSM and the dems aren't saying a word about the reduced payments to medical providers from military Tri Care.


by stormerF2 April 13, 2010 1:51 PM EDT: This is change ok,but is it for the better? How come we have to wait till a bill is passed before we know how if affects us? I hope every damn one of the members of congress lose their health insurance coverage,how sweet that would be,teach them to read and understand a bill before they voted to pass it.; Reply to this comment


by MiddleClassWorker April 13, 2010 12:11 PM EDT: Join the club!; Reply to this comment


by countrycuz1 April 13, 2010 11:47 AM EDT: "All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others." -Orwell, "Animal Farm."; Reply to this comment


by retm-w April 13, 2010 11:39 AM EDT: They spent over a year writing it and supposedly reading and understanding it. Now they don't even understand how it effects them, much less how it will affect the American people. Well Pelosi said it had to be passed to know what was in it, so now we're finding out it may not be that good after all.; Reply to this comment