Question:

Why has Congress not acted to open the Federal employee health care system up to private individuals and businesses. This was a promise the Democrats made when they took Congress in 2006. It would cost us nothing to do this, and it would provide a means for individuals and employers to obtain health care insurance at reasonable rates.

Asked by: David Stoddard from Silver Spring, MD

Asked of All U.S. Senators on May 5th, 2008
Categories: Health. Tags: health care · insurance · promises.
20
votes
Answer:

Answer from: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

What Americans want is to make sure they have choices like their Members of Congress have. Members of Congress have private health care choices. And with the Healthy Americans Act we have now been able to get a significant group of senators, both Republicans and Democrats, to show that for the amount of money that’s being spent on health care today, according to the budget experts, it’s possible for all Americans to have similar choices.

Reporter Todd Zwillich: I don’t know if it was caucus wide, but the platform of some Democrats was to get people bought into that program before this upcoming election. Why hasn’t Congress managed to loosen some of the reigns on FEHBP so far?

Wyden: There are a number of questions about what some of the costs would be, and that is why I thought it was important to address the changes that drive the behavior in American health care. And then you do that, we now have proof from the Congressional Budget Office, the independent experts, that for the amount of money you spend today, all Americans can have choices like their Members of Congress have, and I think that is what the driving part of this whole discussion is all about when it comes to Members of Congress and federal workers.

*NOTE:** Sen. Ron Wyden is a member of Finance Committee and sponsor of the Healthy Americans Act, which proposes to enroll individuals in FEHBP

Answered on Jun 27th, 2008

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