Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) returned to Capitol Hill Monday and helped introduce a bill which would prevent members of Congress from receiving any preferential treatment under the president’s Affordable Care Act.
The No Obama Care Subsidies for Congress Act of 2013 would make sure that all lawmaker would be treated like any other American who purchases personal health insurance under the Affordable Healthcare Act.
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“The president’s healthcare law continues to be a cause for concern for small businesses, employers and American families – something I heard repeatedly while visiting 100 businesses in 100 days this summer,” Fitzpatrick said. “While the president is handing out delays and subsidies to some, he’s leaving many hard-working Americans in the lurch. This bill asks lawmakers to live with the laws they pass.”
In August, the Office of Personnel Management announced it would provide a roughly 75% subsidy to members of Congress for the purchase of a health insurance policy on the new exchanges.
Similar to the principles underpinning Fitzpatrick’s role in the “No Labels” initiative where a proposed constitutional amendment dealing with pay for congress is addressed, Fitzpatrick is continuing to look for ways to make treatment of the public and federal employees equal.
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“My neighbors sent me to the nation’s capital to work for them I should not be treated differently than those I represent,” continued Fitzpatrick. “While I feel the law is bad medicine for our nation’s economy and health care system, as long as it is law, members of Congress should be treated equally under it.”
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that 7 million Americans will lose their employer sponsored health care coverage due to the Affordable Care Act.
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Projections from the Society of Actuaries in March show the law will raise individual health insurance premiums by 28-percent.
