I had some fun back in April when I noted that politicians and staff on Capitol Hill were getting very agitated about having to be part of Obamacare.
Well, it seems that the way the law applies to them is so costly that many of them are thinking about calling it quits.
Here are some of the heartbreaking details from a story in Politico.
Dozens of lawmakers and aides are so afraid that their health insurance premiums will skyrocket next year thanks to Obamacare that they are thinking about retiring early or just quitting. The fear: Government-subsidized premiums will disappear at the end of the year under a provision in the health care law that nudges aides and lawmakers onto the government health care exchanges, which could make their benefits exorbitantly expensive.
Gee, cry me a river. It’s about time that these pampered potentates on the Potomac learn how it feels to live in the real world.
The story warns of potential consequences.
If the issue isn’t resolved, and massive numbers of lawmakers and aides bolt, many on Capitol Hill fear it could lead to a brain drain just as Congress tackles a slew of weighty issues — like fights over the Tax Code and immigration reform. …Sources said several aides have already given lawmakers notice that they’ll be leaving over concerns about Obamacare. Republican and Democratic lawmakers said the chatter about retiring now, to remain on the current health care plan, is constant.
Oh no, what a threat! The politicians who have spent years (or decades in many cases) imposing more taxes, more spending, and more regulation are saying they may leave? Well, my attitude is that we should tell them “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Maybe some new blood would lead to more rational – or at least less irrational – policy from Washington.
And it would be good to go back to the days when we had fewer congressional staffers. Maybe they wouldn’t dream up so many bad ideas if each office had only 3-4 staff.
Now that I’ve vented, I suppose it’s time to take a deep breath and acknowledge that the crowd on Capitol Hill has a legitimate gripe. Because of sloppy legislative language in Obamacare, it appears that the politicians and Hill staffers will have to pay for health insurance with after-tax dollars out of their own pockets.
That’s actually the way the health insurance market should work, but I doubt lawmakers and Hill staffers want to be the guinea pigs for the new system. They’d rather experiment on us.
But you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. And if things get too hard for those blokes and gals, maybe the powers that be on the Hill can re-hire the grief counselors who were put on the payroll after the 2010 elections.
Not that they deserve any sympathy. As illustrated by this article, staffers and politicians quickly get hired as lobbyists, thus further contributing to the culture of corruption in Washington.
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[…] By the way, I like the Steve Kelley cartoon because he echoes my comments about “brain drain.” […]
[…] By the way, I like the Steve Kelley cartoon because he echoes my comments about “brain drain.” […]
[…] even been complaining that the law is so bad that they may quit their jobs. And they’re so disconnected from reality that they think we’ll be upset at the loss of their […]
[…] even been complaining that the law is so bad that they may quit their jobs. And they’re so disconnected from reality that they think we’ll be upset at the loss of […]
[…] https://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/can-you-find-it-in-your-heart-to-feel-sympathy-for-p… […]
[…] But in my defense, this only happens when the sad people happen to be those who want to steal my money using the coercive power of government. Or when bad things happen to the political class. […]
[…] But in my defense, this only happens when the sad people happen to be those who want to steal my money using the coercive power of government. Or when bad things happen to the political class. […]
brain drain? you have to be kidding…………………. some of these folks just want to get out of town before the stool sample engages the fan blades…
Prepare yourselves for the marvelous time when you no longer have to earn your healthcare. Then, mediocrity will be easier and success will have to pay for even more. Lower motivation, lower economic performance and renewed desperation at the polls to be given more stuff paid by others. Lather, rinse, repeat to Euro-decline.
So, is this an issue where through some sort of drafting error lawmakers lose their employer premium support (federal benefits) and have to pay for their insurance out of their own pockets? And buy ObamaCare at that?
Perhaps a simple solution would be to lower their total compensation below 90k or so, and then they would qualify for the ObamaCare subsidies!!
Enjoy, as together with the politicians we all participate in the political quarrel. Once lucky apolitical Americans are now bickering with zero sum politics in an attempt to remain recipients of an ever shrinking economic pie. Less work, more politics. The road to prosperity! Welcome to Europe. When an ever larger proportion of GDP is controlled by collective majority, politics will become your main occupation. The dynamism of innovation, motivation and productivity is migrating. Decline is the only outcome. The writing is on the wall…This is the administration that pushes America over the edge into the vicious cycle. The European stagnation elephant trap.
A single tear rolls down my cheek as my glass heart breaks for those legislators who supported Obamacare.
In a future column please address exactly why the legislators and aides plan under Obamacare would be exorbitantly expensive. Is it due to the overall rate hikes due to Obamacare covering pre-existing conditions, the generosity of the benefits in their type of plan which translated into an Obamacare plan would be in the top tier of available plans, their inability to obtain government subsidies due to income, new taxes based on income level that are a part of the Obamacare legislation, or other factors?
Your posts are interesting and informative. Adding a few more details would make them even more so. Like you, I want to clearly understand what is happening in Washington and including more specifics in posts like this would help me do that. Plus, it would provide talking points when discussing the impact of Obamacare with other people.
On a personal note, I read Ayn Rand in my middle and late teens in the 60s, and although I respected much of her philosophy, I felt it was too harsh; black and white thinking. After completing a B.A. in Russian and Soviet history as an adult and hearing about the experiences of friends who grew up in various Soviet-controlled countries, I have a better understanding of Rand’s thinking. I appreciate the red flags that it raises about the dangers inherent on the current path of our government and society.
Please continue to write. I have been learning a great deal from you. Not only have I picked up information and data, but I am always on the look out for someone from whom I can learn more about how to effectively think through an issue and I am learning that from you. Thank you!
Brain drain – oh dear, what would we do?!