Snipe
04-13-2010, 03:10 PM
Baffled by Health Plan? So Are Some Lawmakers (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/us/politics/13health.html?partner=rss&emc=rss)
The law apparently bars members of Congress from the federal employees health program, on the assumption that lawmakers should join many of their constituents in getting coverage through new state-based markets known as insurance exchanges.
But the research service found that this provision was written in an imprecise, confusing way, so it is not clear when it takes effect.
The new exchanges do not have to be in operation until 2014. But because of a possible “drafting error,” the report says, Congress did not specify an effective date for the section excluding lawmakers from the existing program.
Under well-established canons of statutory interpretation, the report said, “a law takes effect on the date of its enactment” unless Congress clearly specifies otherwise. And Congress did not specify any other effective date for this part of the health care law. The law was enacted when President Obama signed it three weeks ago.
The One told us that if we liked the coverage we had we would get to keep it. Don't worry. Looks like that doesn't apply to Congress unless they amend their own legislation. And if they don't know what exactly they did to themselves, you can only imagine what they just did to you. Two words: Bend Over.
We have a a band of idiots running this country, a true confederacy of dunces.
The law apparently bars members of Congress from the federal employees health program, on the assumption that lawmakers should join many of their constituents in getting coverage through new state-based markets known as insurance exchanges.
But the research service found that this provision was written in an imprecise, confusing way, so it is not clear when it takes effect.
The new exchanges do not have to be in operation until 2014. But because of a possible “drafting error,” the report says, Congress did not specify an effective date for the section excluding lawmakers from the existing program.
Under well-established canons of statutory interpretation, the report said, “a law takes effect on the date of its enactment” unless Congress clearly specifies otherwise. And Congress did not specify any other effective date for this part of the health care law. The law was enacted when President Obama signed it three weeks ago.
The One told us that if we liked the coverage we had we would get to keep it. Don't worry. Looks like that doesn't apply to Congress unless they amend their own legislation. And if they don't know what exactly they did to themselves, you can only imagine what they just did to you. Two words: Bend Over.
We have a a band of idiots running this country, a true confederacy of dunces.