Some of the staunchest critics of the Affordable Care Act, including Florida’s Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, have decided to buy insurance on the health insurance exchange created by the law.
Both of Florida’s senators are among the members of Congress who have signed up for Washington D.C.’s health-care exchange. The Washington Post published a list of those who selected policies in the exchange created by the Affordable Care Act, or chose different private or public insurance. The enrollees included at least 55 Senators and all top Congressional leaders.
The Washington Times also reported that only about 100 members of the House of Representatives also have enrolled.
Rubio’s spokesman told the Tampa Bay Times the senator accepted a federal subsidy to help pay for his family’s health insurance. That subsidy was created to cover costs that members of Congress and their staffs would have received if they had remained on the federal employee health plans.
Florida’s other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, told the Times he also is enrolled on the D.C. exchange. But Nelson, who is 71, is also enrolled in Medicare Part A, which covers hospitalization.
While members of Congress are federal employees, they voted to require that they participate in the Obamacare exchange. Members and their staff can choose to receive a subsidy for the coverage, which is equal to the financial support they would have received had they remained on the federal employee plan.
