Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Obama Health Care Bill

Every time I think of this, I grin:
The law apparently bars members of Congress from the federal employees health program, on the assumption that lawmakers should join many of their constituents in getting coverage through new state-based markets known as insurance exchanges.

But the research service found that this provision was written in an imprecise, confusing way, so it is not clear when it takes effect.

The new exchanges do not have to be in operation until 2014. But because of a possible “drafting error,” the report says, Congress did not specify an effective date for the section excluding lawmakers from the existing program.

Under well-established canons of statutory interpretation, the report said, “a law takes effect on the date of its enactment” unless Congress clearly specifies otherwise. And Congress did not specify any other effective date for this part of the health care law. The law was enacted when President Obama signed it three weeks ago.
They couldn’t take the time to actually READ the bill and now it’s gonna come back on ‘em and bite ‘em on the ass.

At least, I hope it does.
My SO doesn’t think that they will allow this to happen to themselves. They will find some weasel way out of it.
He’s probably correct but it is a delightful prospect in the meantime.



(Quote from the New Yolk Slimes, to which I will not link.)

No comments: