It cannot be repeated enough: the members of Congress who oppose so-called government-run and/or socialist healthcare for their constituents like it just fine for themselves:
while most Americans have to go with whatever their employer offers, members [of Congress] have a choice of 10 plans that offer access to a national network of doctors. "Lawmakers also get special treatment at Washington's federal medical facilities and, for a few hundred dollars a month, access to their own pharmacy and doctors, nurses and medical technicians standing by in an office conveniently located between the House and Senate chambers," the article added.
This clinic, as it is quaintly described, has several doctors, nurses, x-ray techs and a pharmacist. If a specialist is needed, he or she is brought it - from Johns Hopkins, Mayo, whatever - at no extra charge to the patient. The patient's insurance plan - the one of 10 gold-plated plans available to members of Congress - is not billed. Instead, members of Congress pay an annual fee of $503. You and I pick up the rest of the tab.
It takes a real cold-hearted son of a bitch to avail himself of this type of taxpayer-funded luxury while telling the very people who pay for it to go get a fucking job if they want health insurance, or to quit going to the doctor so much, or that they need more "skin in the game," or that government healthcare simply doesn't work.
Of course, this is in addition to the socialized healthcare system used by the defenders of our freedoms in our military and the separate socialized healthcare system used by veterans, in addition to the completely separate government-funded health insurance plan used by all of this nation's senior citizens. Government healthcare works great up to the point that private insurance companies get worried that their bottom line will be affected - that is the beginning, the middle and the end of Congressional opposition to real healthcare reform.
At least people like Alan Grayson are willing to tell the truth and fight for their constituents. But the Republicans, House Blue Dogs and their counterparts in the Senate are hypocrites of the highest order. I would gleefully cancel their insurance plans and close that damn clinic down if I could, just to make these old farts live in our shoes for a little while.
