I confess immediately that it is offensively nervy of me to write a diary when I don't know anything about the subject matter. But can't one purpose of a diary sometimes be to ask a question?
It is planned that Congressional and White House staff will go on the exchanges. The Republicans are strategizing to demand that the subsidy for Congressional or White House staffs for the exchanges be eliminated, so in essence they plan to take away these persons' health insurance benefit altogether. But according to the ACA, employers with >= 50 employees must provide health insurance or pay a fine per employee. The Congress and the White House employ more than 50 people so lawfully they must provide health insurance-or-subsidy, right? They can either provide a separate insurance plan or subsidize their workers on the exchange or else pay a penalty. Or is government exempt? Or maybe are they packaging themselves as >500 small businesses? How can they just vote to take away the health insurance benefit without amending the ACA to say that they can do this? Are they ready to fine themselves? The congressmen themselves will be subsidized on the exchanges though, no? They are not eliminating their own insurance, just that of their staffs? How can they think they'll come off looking good?
5:09 PM PT: Oh, the Republicans want to eliminate the health insurance benefit for themselves as well as their staffs.