Can Congress Count?

Do members of Congress think they have less than 50 employees? They must, since Congress is considered a “small business” when it comes to healthcare. That’s right, even though it has thousands of employees Congress is exempt from the job-killing ObamaCare rules and regulations pushed on every other employer with more than 50 employees.

How did this come about?

ObamaCare originally required members of Congress and their staff to buy health insurance through an ObamaCare exchange without an employer contribution to their premiums. The provision was set to take effect in 2014, but President Obama, knowing his friends on Capitol Hill were panicking, illegally directed the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to issue a rule saying that Congress is a small business and therefore: “the DC Health Link Small Business Market administered by the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority, is the appropriate SHOP from which Members of Congress and designated congressional staff will purchase health insurance in order to receive a Government contribution.”

This means that unlike every other American who lost their employer coverage because of the law they passed, members of Congress and their staff don’t have to sign up under the individual exchange. Even more unfair; their premiums are subsidized by the government.

The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate even filed false declarations claiming to have less than 50 employees each. This is laughable on its face. There are more than 50 members in each body not even taking into account each member’s staff, which can be dozens of people. And don’t even start thinking about the hundreds of people on committee staff!

Because of this ludicrous abuse of power, American Encore has joined many likeminded organizations in urging President Trump to direct OPM to rescind the Obama rule and force Congress and their staff pay their own premiums in the individual ObamaCare exchange. You can view our letter here.