About the health care plan Congress has

[proud2BlibKansan]

Do their staffers have that same plan?

We had a rally in front of Brownback's office on Thursday and a group went inside and met with a staff member. One of the group said we wanted the same plan Brownback has. His staffer said she has that plan and it is bad. She said she used to be a teacher and had better coverage then.

I know she is lying about her health insurance when she was a teacher. Is she also lying about having the same plan Brownbck has?

[sandnsea]

1. Congress has Federal Employee Benefits Plan

Which is a choice of insurance plans. If she's chosen a bad plan because it's cheaper, than that's likely her own fault.

However - since she said she had a better plan when she was a teacher, then ask her why in the hell she isn't supporting a system to make sure every plan is equally that good because that's the point.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. I wasn't with the group that talked to her; I was outside

But they said they told her well we have a teacher outside and she would be glad to come in here and tell you all about her health care plan. And the staffer said no, she was late for an event and didn't have time.

The event we figured out later was a fund raiser featuring Michael Steele. So this staffer chose meeting Michael Steel over doing her freakin job.

[flyarm]

3. we don't count..don't you know that yet? read here the Pay to Play

unless you got the big bucks..you don't count!! more change we all can believe in eh???

Ceci Connolly Was the “Play” in the WaPo’s Pay2Play Dinner

By: emptywheel Saturday July 11, 2009 6:21 am http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/07/11/ceci-connolly-was-the-play-in-the-pay2play-dinner/#more-4476

edit to add: watch the utube of Bill Moyers Journal..must see !!

Close to the end of OmbudAndy's long assessment of his paper's Pay2Play scandal, he includes this tidbit:

Brauchli conferred with Pelton about the salon dinners. At one point they showed up at the newsroom desk of reporter Ceci Connolly, who covers health care, which was to be the discussion topic of the July 21 dinner. Subsequently, she said, "Charles asked me for some contact phone numbers and e-mails, which I provided."



On June 17, another Word document was provided by Pelton to The Post's advertising staff soliciting a $25,000 sponsorship -- "Maximum of two sponsors" -- for the July dinner. Under "Hosts and Discussion Leaders," it listed Weymouth, Brauchli and "Other Washington Post health care editorial and reporting staff." It said participants could "Interact with core players in an off-the-record format."

A week later, the flier was distributed to the ad sales staff.

At the same time, e-mails were being sent over Weymouth's name to lawmakers and others inviting them to the July 21 dinner. They said she, Brauchli and "health care reporter Ceci Connolly" were hosting the evening. An accompanying invitation said it would be off the record and noted that it would be underwritten by a single sponsor, Kaiser Permanente.

Somehow I just knew Ceci Connolly would be involved in this Pay2Play.

That's because she has spent the last month "reporting" stories that scold progressives for insisting on real reform. There was the article, for example, where she said,

[ejpoeta]

4. my sister has the federal benefits. they paid for fertility treatments for her for all those years.

and i know that even though the places that she can go is limited (at least in batavia), they will pay for her to even get the lenses that darken and lighten!!! my kids have child health plus, and I just got my daughter glasses and I had to pay for the polycarbonate lenses myself. IT was only $25, but still.... it's for kids lenses!! I bet her insurance would pay for polycarbonate lenses if it will pay for the lenses that darken in the sun and the anti reflection stuff too...

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. But is that the same plan the elected reps have?

[ThomWV]

6. All Federal employees, from the President to the lowest GS1 have the same plan

I have it too as a Federal Retiree. The "plan" is actually a group of many plans offered by many private insurance companies and you get to chose the one you want. They all have different coverage and different prices and the Government, like most large employers, picks up part of the monthly bill and the employee pays the rest. We pay $365 a month for our Blue Cross Blue Shield, which as I said is just one of the many we might have chose. Its nothing special and the insurance companies still try to get out of paying and grossly underpay for much of what they do cover (leaving the employee on the hook for the rest), they just can't dump you.