NYT: John Boehner personally driving up his own Obamacare cost
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/us/politics/higher-costs-seen-for-some-in-congress-on-health-plans.html
Higher Costs Seen for Some in Congress on Health Plans
WASHINGTON — Older members of Congress and those who smoke, like Speaker John A. Boehner, could be facing much higher health insurance premiums under a new official interpretation of President Obama’s health care law.
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Federal workers, including lawmakers, now generally get coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the nation’s largest employer-sponsored health insurance program. Under some of the most popular health plans, the government contributes $5,000 a year for individual coverage and $11,000 for family coverage.
The 2010 health care law generally requires members of Congress and employees in their “official offices” to get coverage through the exchanges. The purpose was to make sure lawmakers understood the benefits and burdens of the law, as experienced by many of their constituents.
In the federal employee program, people in the same health plan generally pay the same premiums, regardless of their age or place of residence. However, for health plans sold on the exchanges, premiums can vary, based on a person’s age, tobacco use and place of residence. A person like Mr. Boehner, who turns 64 in November, might be charged three times as much as a 23-year-old. And as a smoker, he could be charged up to 50 percent more than a nonsmoker of the same age.
