With two Congressmen-elect already on record as saying they will decline their government health plan when they are seated next month, pressure is building for others who openly campaigned against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to follow suit.
Last week, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to Republican leaders Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sen. Mitch McConell (R-Ky.), co-signed by 60 other Democrats, urging reform opponents to turn down their health coverage.
"You cannot enroll in the very kind of coverage that you want for yourselves, and then turn around and deny it to Americans who don't happen to be Members of Congress," the letter stated.
According to a poll released Tuesday by Public Policy Polling, 53 percent said they think newly elected members of Congress who campaigned against the healthcare bill should decline government-provided healthcare.
"Americans ... think anti-healthcare reform Congressmen should be principled and refuse to accept the health plan Congressmen usually get for free," the PPP said in a press release announcing the results.
Members of Congress get their health coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan, which provides stipends to help cover the costs of lawmakers' insurance. That will change in 2014, when they will need to get their insurance via the state health insurance exchanges, as spelled out in the health reform law.
Now, with Congressmen-elect Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.) and Mike Kelley (R-Pa.), both of whom ran strong anti-health reform campaigns, on record as saying won't participate in FEHBP, the pressure is turning to other vocal opponents to follow suit.
Michael Steele, a spokesman for Boehner, said he doesn't think opposing the healthcare law while also accepting government-sponsored health insurance is a conflict.
"Boehner, like Speaker Pelosi, Sen. Reid and tens of millions of Americans, receives health coverage through his employer. That has nothing to do with ObamaCare, which will wreck Americans' healthcare and bankrupt our country," Steele told The Hill's Healthwatch blog in a prepared statement.
Yet sentiment among Republican leaders' constituents indicates otherwise. Polling information from PPP indicates that among Republicans who took part in the survey, a higher proportion – 58 percent – wanted their leaders to decline the government plan.
Also Tuesday, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees urged Republicans not to enroll in FEHBP.
"These Republicans want to repeal health reform, putting the insurance companies back in charge and putting affordable coverage out of reach of millions of Americans," said Gerald W. McEntee, the AFSCME's president. "If you campaigned for repeal, you should go without taxpayer-funded coverage first."
Freshman lawmakers have 60 days from the beginning of their term to opt in to FEHBP.