Pirate's Cove

The New York Times (I will no longer refer to them as the F*sh Wrap, as that brings massive trackback spam) publishes a story that should have been in the humor section, rather than page A13 of the NY Edition: Baffled by Health Plan? So Are Some Lawmakers

It is often said that the new health care law will affect almost every American in some way. And, perhaps fittingly if unintentionally, no one may be more affected than members of Congress themselves.

In a new report, the Congressional Research Service says the law may have significant unintended consequences for the “personal health insurance coverage” of senators, representatives and their staff members.

For example, it says, the law may “remove members of Congress and Congressional staff” from their current coverage, in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, before any alternatives are available.

The confusion raises the inevitable question: If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?

On that point, probably so. As was often said during the debate on this disastrous plan, people should not get caught up looking at the individual trees, forsaking the forest, where the forest is the massive intrusion into peoples lives, putting the United States on a path towards single payer health coverage. Everything else that doesn’t push people into the government exchange, such as making it more cost effective for companies to dump their health coverage and forcing people to purchase health insurance or be fined, among others, is all just fluff. Important fluff, but fluff. The abortion debate, while important, was a tree, one designed to deflect attention from the over-all goal of a government takeover.

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.

Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) slipped that in, and now we wait to see how quick Nancy and Harry attempt to surreptitiously slip a provision in another piece of legislation so that they get to keep their gold plated plans.

Others: JustOneMinute, Another Black Conservative, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Hot Air

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU