Wenstrup demands Congress show their Obamacare exemption

As the United States Supreme Court weighed new challenges last week to President Obama’s health care law, Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) is pushing Congress to increase their own transparency under the law. His bill, the Show Your Exemption Act, would require members of Congress to publicly disclose their staff’s exemption from Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions.
 
“Obamacare was written to include Congress, but Congress found a loophole,” Wenstrup said. “While passing legislation that forced millions of Americans to lose their health insurance, politicians in Washington D.C. found a way to protect their own staff from feeling the pain. The worst part? It’s kept secret.”
 

The original ACA legislation included a provision by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley requiring members of Congress and their official staff to receive health insurance through newly created exchanges.

“Unfortunately, when push came to shove, the Obama Administration gave Congress an administrative loophole,” Wenstrup said.
 
Congressional offices are able to designate their staff as non-official, exempting them from the Obamacare mandate. This disclosure is not publicly available, and there is no way of telling how many offices take advantage of the exemption. Wenstrup’s legislation would change that by requiring public disclosure of the staff designation.
 
“We owe this transparency to the American people, many who have lost their health insurance plans in recent years because of Obamacare,” Wenstrup said.

Wenstrup noted his entire staff was designated official and is participating in Obamacare.