Monday, July 16, 2012

House Republicans, including Wyoming's Cynthia Lummis, vote themselves health care for life while voting against health care for the rest of us

This article comes from Michael McAuliff in the Huffington Post. Make sure to watch the video in which Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming is asked by a reporter: "Why did you just vote yourself health care for life?" Lummis screamed response: "What?" Lummis is one of the wealthiest members of the U.S. Congress:
Democrats are mocking Republicans in the House of Representatives for voting to repeal the health care reform law and keep their own enhanced medical care. 
When Congress passed the health care law, it required members of Congress to get their insurance on exchanges with the rest of the public. But in voting to repeal that law, Republicans and a handful of Democrats were also voting to go back to the old system where the lawmakers get a sweeter deal than most of the rest of the country..
They also voted against a Democratic motion that said members of Congress who support repealing the health care law must also repeal the good stuff they get, such as lifetime care and insurance regardless of pre-existing conditions.
Democrats tried to demonstrate how Republicans distanced themselves from voting to protect their own deal by capturing a slew of GOP members on video saying they didn't vote to protect their own care, as seen below. The clip features a number of Republicans in tight races this year, as well as GOP budget guru, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
“House Republicans refuse to admit they voted to give themselves taxpayer funded lifetime guaranteed health care instead of having the same health care as their constituents,” said Jesse Ferguson, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, referring to the fact that members of Congress are eligible for retirement benefits after just five years.
“House Republicans didn’t just vote to protect insurance company campaign donor profits this time, they’re even helping themselves to lifetime taxpayer-funded government health care and now they need to be honest with their constituents and admit it,” Ferguson said.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mike, As a state employee you pay 25% and the state pays 75% for your healthcare. For a member of Congress the gov't pays 67% and the member (and staff) pay 33%; they get Blue Cross/Blue Shield Wyoming same as any other citizen of Wyoming; same co-pays, same deductibles. So if the facts be known you have a better deal! And oh by the way it is not lifetime coverage.
You should check facts before getting emotional.

Anonymous said...

Lummis, and all Republicans these days really, seem to believe we should go back to the 1890s, the era of the robber barons.