What is rarely discussed outside the halls of Congress is the (OAP's) other role — providing a wealth of primary care medical services to senators, representatives and Supreme Court justices
Editor's note: We borrowed this post from the lefty blog Daily Kos, just to make the point, once again, about how our congress people continue to fleece the taxpayers for their personal gold-platted health care while throwing crumbs to the masses. King Louie and Marie Antoinette had a saying for this kind treatment: "Let 'em eat cake."
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By mcjoan
How about (Congress's) socialized medical program? This is beyond the fantastic health plan they all have, courtesy of the American taxpayer, this is a perk they've kept largely secret through all this contentious debate about what Americans deserve for their health care. Via Matt, look at what they've provided themselves, their very own socialized medicine . . .
Formally called the Office of the Attending Physician, the clinic — and at least six satellite offices — bills its mission as one of emergency preparedness and public health. Each day, it stands ready to handle medical emergencies, biological attacks and the occasional fainting tourist visiting Capitol Hill.
Officially, the office acknowledges these types of services, including providing physicals to Capitol police officers and offering flu shots to congressional staffers. But what is rarely discussed outside the halls of Congress is the office’s other role — providing a wealth of primary care medical services to senators, representatives and Supreme Court justices.
Sources said when specialists are needed, they are brought to the Capitol, often at no charge to members of Congress.
Members of Congress do not pay for the individual services they receive at the OAP, nor do they submit claims through their federal employee health insurance policies. Instead, members pay a flat, annual fee of $503 for all the care they receive. The rest of the cost of their care, sources said, is subsidized by taxpayers.
Last year, Congress appropriated more than $3 million to reimburse the Navy for staff salaries at the office. Next year's budget allocates $3.8 million for the office, including more than half a million dollars to upgrade the Office's radiology suite. Sources said additional money to operate the office is included in the Navy's annual budget.
In 2008, 240 members paid the annual fee, though some sources say congressmen who didn't pay the fee were rarely prevented from using OAP services.
14 comments:
Who cares that the politicians get better health care than the voters. And who cares that the lobbyists are laughing all the way to the bank with the Tea Party nonsense. We live in a free markets America and I like being screwed by the system. Isn't that what being American is all about: fear of change and losing our fake supreriority to foreigners?
First, I can't believe this blog finally ran something that is critical of the Democratic majority Congress. Second, this isn't news, anyone that has been paying attention for years has known about this and has been talking about it. It came up in the Clinton era when Hillary-care was being discussed. Lastly, what about the "Tea Party" nonsense? Or the Town Hall furors that have been going on all over America this summer which the Lords and Ladies of Congress (Democrats all) sat there and called them "thugs" and "nazis", etc.? The idea of Congress passing bills that are for the rest of America and exempting themselves is nothing new, and was brought up by the people attending the town halls this summer.
Charles Grassley (Republican) put forward an amendment in the Senate's committee (Baucus' committee) that calls for Congress to buy into the same nonsense that they are trying to pass off on everyone else.
This is the first time that I can honestly say that I agree with the "Daily Kos" - will wonders never cease? Except for his being tardy on the issue of course, he is right.
Jon, I wish you and your fellow City officials were as passionate about enforcing the Dripping Springs subdivision and site development ordinances as you are about universal access to health care in America.
Since I've been forbidden by City officials to contact you perhaps we could discuss enforcement in this open forum.
Come on, Mr. Thompson, anyone who has a brain knows the desparate conservatives like Grassley are part of the Republican "sabotage" team out to make sure Obama fails. The Republican Party needs Obama to fail so they can generate some semblance of future legitimacy. Republicans have no platform anymore other than the proven failed policies of the Bush years. They have some legitimacy criticising the Dems, but no solutions. Sadly, it doesn't look like the Dems will do much better. America has become a second rate country, and we better get used to it. Too many years of christian economic imperialism has done us in - the modern version of the european colonialists of the 19th century. A BRIC has been dropped on the American psyche.
Anon # 4,
You are the reason the Democrats will fail miserably next year in the elections. They are at the wit's end on their FAILED policies over the last eight months with no one left to blame but themselves. How can the Republicans stop the Health care vote? The Dems have the majority with a stranglehold majority of 60 votes; unless they can't muster their own majority to vote alongside the strongarmed muscle tactics of the Senate and House majority leaders who will pull out all of the dirty tricks to get their votes, and in a way, I hope that they do. I hope that the vote passes, and then when the chickens come home to roost next fall, then the Dems will be voted heartily out of office for their failure to listen to the people who attended townhall meetings.
Charles,
What's your beef?
Jon
Sorry # 4, not enough explanation - your negative attitude and lack of creative rational discourse other than "nanny-nanny boo-boo".
That stuff really gets old. I get caught up in it and respond to the foolishness you and the others who are naysayers on both sides try and play. Solid reasoned discourse should be had, and those who are wrong should 'fess up. The problem becomes whose facts are the facts used?
My point though is just as the Republicans got cocky in the mid-90's, and were eventually voted back out of power, so the Democrats will also find themselves on the losing end again as they overreach and try and cram something down the throats of Americans who are savvy enough to know that if they can't fix Medicare and Medicaid without a health care crisis, who is to say that they will be able to tell the lobbyists no this time and trim the fat? My vote says that they will not be able to say no to the lobbyists, and will end up voting in something that will do nothing to trim the fat in any EXISTING program, but will end up ADDING more largess to the backs of the American taxpayers for more inefficiently run federally controlled bureaucracies.
Jon, you should get off your high horse and self righteous attitude. All the evidence is there; no need to debate it any longer. The capitalist, private sector health care industry gave up on health care as its primary mission a long time ago. It is now in it only for the money and profits. Anyone who is sick or with pre-existing conditions are toast, collateral damage. No bones about it. We finally have a president who cares about real change for the people. Give Obama and his Democratic supporters on Capitol Hill some credit for that at least. If you look at it for what it stands for, the public plan option is the only option that will force a level playing field. Who the hell cares if it leads to "socialized medicine", if the people like it, want it and it works. Underline WORKS. You've driven the last nail in that coffin a bit too soon my friend. What we've got ain't working. What is being fashioned now by the Senate is a total sham, on that I can agree. If it passes as is (forced by the nay saying-do-nothing Republicans), you're darn right the Dems will have set themselves up for a thumping next year. What gets my goad is the Republicans luxuriating in their own socialized medical care while telling average Americans they can't have it. Why are Republicans so afraid of this eventuality. Yes, Republicans and Democrats are standing in the way of real reform. That's because the industry has them in their pockets. That's the biggest shame of it all. They should all get run out of town. I say the Republicans should be ushered out first and foremost as they are the worst of the worst hypocrites. The American voter is not so dumb as you might believe. They can smell a rat. The Republicans' do-nothing, stand in the way of true reform may just well backfire on them big time next year. This game ain't over yet.
Get a Life:
"What gets my goad is the Republicans luxuriating in their own socialized medical care while telling average Americans they can't have it."
Did you fail to mention that the same majority Democrats have this same socialized medicine that you harp on the Republicans having? Are they any better than the serfs to whom they pretend to be their masters? Not hardly. Better yet, do you know how long this has been going on? For decades. All the while that the rest of us have health care that we pay for, the Congress, as usual, passes rules for everyone else, but exempts itself. This is a Congress that for forty years (1960s-1990s) was a Democratically controlled institution. I would hesitate to say that it is only the Republicans who don't want the general public to have socialized medicine. THINK! The Democrats can pass whatever health care reform they want to, the "nay-saying, doing nothing" Republicans can do NOTHING to stop them from ramming (or is that "Rahming"?) it through.
I say that the votes are opposed to what is being forced upon them by the Congress, period, irregardless of Democrat or Republican. It is just that the Democrats are in charge, and anything that comes out of it is theirs - whether they succeed or fail.
The current system is a hell of a lot better than the countries currently existing on socialized medicine - England and Canada being the two prime examples given. Can you refute that their systems suck? Why Canadians come south of the border (to the US) for health care that is routinely denied there? Or why in England, those who can afford it buy into private health insurance because the nationally run health care system is horrid?
The founder of Whole Foods had a very good suggestion in his op-ed from some weeks back that made sense. Not one of his suggestions have been seriously examined or discussed. His employees seem happy. The big beef that many have with him is that apparently his stores are non-Union, which drives the Union thugs crazy. He makes a good point in a recent interview when he says that the President asked for open debate, and yet when he writes his op-ed, the left goes crazy and calls for a boycott of his store. That's open debate? Sounds like black-listing to me, the same kind that the McCarthyism of the 50's was on those in Hollywood who dared to cross Sen. McCarthy.
High-horse and self-righteous? Is that your way of de-legitimizing me to make your argument sound more reasonable? The Left cannot come at a reasoned debate without the politics of personal destruction. It continues.
One thing that really gets me about the present healthcare insurance debate is that everyone seems to think the insurance companies should cover pre-existing conditions. That idea is simply absurd. Would you expect an insurance company to write a life policy on someone that has 2 days to live? How about writing a fire policy on a house that’s already on fire? What underwriter could stay in business with that sort of rule? But that’s what the Dems want, to run private insurance out of business so Government insurance is all that’s left.
What's the point of health insurance if everyone is healthy? Most heads of families buy insurance to cover their spouses and/or their kids. And boy does it cost them – the premiums are $700 to $1,000 a month, and rising. Who can afford that except the very well off. Kids, as all dads and moms know, are pre-existing conditions waiting to happen. Private insurers know that and make a killing off it. If a government plan works well, then I say to hell with the private insurers. The fat cats have taken the American worker for a long and very expensive ride. It's time we try a government plan, similar what our reps in congress receive from the taxpayers pockets. And to Jon, forget it. You're tone is far too evangelical to debate reasonably. As much as you plead for reasoned debate, time after time you raise arguments and spout "facts" that you cannot prove such as your criticism of socialized medicine in Canada and England. For every ill of socialized medicine you recite, I can produce ten ills of our privatized, profit-based system.
Get A Life:
Again, you say that you can cite point for point. Get it on. Put up or shut up. When will the libs ever learn that they can talk a good game, but can't prove diddly? This is the oldest escape in the world to prevent having reasoned discourse (which the PRESIDENT said he encouraged). So why don't you want to engage in point for point debate? Afraid of what might come out?
Get A Life:
Also, your tone is condescending and bigoted to say that I sound "too evangelical" to "debate reasonably". I might say that you sound too much like a union-thug, liberal leftist, but instead of name calling, again the politics of personal destruction, you venture far afield in attempts to hide the debate.
Instead, I ask for reasoned debate, and you chicken out. Typical.
Jon, “Get a life” will never debate the issues since he/she is the usual disgruntled liberal that believes the common man is always right and no one that has or makes money can ever be on the right side. Sadly, the only things they can do are call names and quote the same old tired socialist slogans. These people got the President they thought they wanted and now see that he is incompetent and making things worse. He has not delivered on a single promise he made in the campaign. Thank God.
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