White House approves deal to exempt Congress from ObamaCare

In a move sure to go over well with voters of all stripes, Congress has received a deal from the White House to “fix” an issue in ObamaCare which would have simply applied the law to members of Congress and their staff. A measure in the original Affordable Care Act (ACA) legislation, inserted by Senator Chuck Grassley, required that the provisions set forth in the law would apply to Congress the same way it would apply to all Americans. That provision, and the implications of ObamaCare with regard to rising insurance premiums, are now coming home to roost as the law nears full implementation.

Report from MarketWatch:

The White House has approved a deal that will exempt members of Congress and their staff from some of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, Politico reported late Thursday. Under the law, popularly referred to as Obamacare, lawmakers and their aides were required to source health insurance “created” by the law or offered through one of its exchanges, and without the subsidies they currently enjoy, the members of Congress would have faced thousands of dollars in additional premium payments each year, the report said.

However, the Office of Personnel Management now plans to rule that the government can continue to make a contribution to the health-care premiums of the lawmakers and their staff, it said, citing unnamed congressional sources and a White House official.

This was released on a Friday in August for a reason. Will voters notice and will they care that Congress was able to change the rules to avoid increased health insurance premiums? Does this have implications for 2014 and 2016?