![\"Embattled](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Credit-the-nation.jpg\")
<\/a>Embat\u00adtled slug\u00adger Alex Rodriguez is among the mil\u00adlions who could end up ben\u00ade\u00adfit\u00ading from a forth\u00adcom\u00ading Oba\u00admacare announce\u00adment. [Cred\u00adit: The Nation]<\/p><\/div>The Oba\u00adma Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion, which recent\u00adly announced that it would pro\u00advide Sen\u00ada\u00adtors and Con\u00adgress\u00admen with gen\u00ader\u00adous gov\u00adern\u00adment sub\u00adsi\u00addies for their health insur\u00adance despite the fact that the Oba\u00admacare law denies those sub\u00adsi\u00addies, is expect\u00aded to announce lat\u00ader this week that it is extend\u00ading this spe\u00adcial deal for Con\u00adgress to all Americans.\n
Under the new pol\u00adi\u00adcy, indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals who buy health insur\u00adance through the new gov\u00adern\u00adment exchanges will be giv\u00aden a choice: pay the full pre\u00admi\u00adum or accept a 72 per\u00adcent gov\u00adern\u00adment sub\u00adsidy, the same deal as the Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion has announced it will give to Sen\u00ada\u00adtors and Congressmen.<\/p>\n
The gov\u00adern\u00adment sub\u00adsi\u00addies will be avail\u00adable to peo\u00adple regard\u00adless of income, as they are for Con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal employees.<\/p>\n
\u201c<\/span>Tech\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly, the law says that sub\u00adsi\u00addies should only be avail\u00adable to indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals earn\u00ading less than $46,000,\u201d a White House aide involved in the deci\u00adsion said. \u201cBut we decid\u00aded to ignore the law and pro\u00advide Con\u00adgress\u00admen, who earn around four times that much, with sub\u00adsi\u00addies too. Then we thought, \u2018Why not also give the Con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal-style sub\u00adsi\u00addies to every\u00adbody who buys cov\u00ader\u00adage in the exchanges, regard\u00adless of how much they make?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n The forth\u00adcom\u00ading announce\u00adment is a rare bit of good news for embat\u00adtled Yan\u00adkee third base\u00adman Alex Rodriguez, who is fight\u00ading a 211 game sus\u00adpen\u00adsion for vio\u00adlat\u00ading the league\u2019s pol\u00adi\u00adcy against the use of per\u00adfor\u00admance-enhanc\u00ading drugs and for imped\u00ading an inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion into an anti-aging clin\u00adic in Flori\u00adda that alleged\u00adly dis\u00adpensed the drugs to a num\u00adber of major league play\u00aders. A medi\u00ada\u00adtor is expect\u00aded to rule on Rodriguez\u2019s appeal dur\u00ading the fall.<\/p>\n Should the sus\u00adpen\u00adsion be upheld, Rodriguez won\u2019t be paid until 2015. He also will lose the health insur\u00adance the Yan\u00adkees pro\u00advid\u00aded him, forc\u00ading him to buy his own cov\u00ader\u00adage through the new health insur\u00adance exchanges. Rodriguez has relied on insur\u00adance in the past for numer\u00adous treat\u00adments, includ\u00ading two hip surg\u00aderies, although his pol\u00adi\u00adcy report\u00aded\u00adly did not cov\u00ader the steroids he alleged\u00adly used.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Have you seen what the exchanges are charg\u00ading for those poli\u00adcies?\u201d Rodriguez asked a reporter. \u201cHow can any\u00adbody afford to pay full price?\u201d Rodriguez has so far earned an esti\u00admat\u00aded $353 mil\u00adlion<\/a> over the course of his career and still will be owed an addi\u00adtion\u00adal $61 mil\u00adlion<\/a> by the Yan\u00adkees, even if his appeal fails and he is sus\u00adpend\u00aded until 2015.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I am pleased that Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma has decid\u00aded that I am enti\u00adtled to the same gov\u00adern\u00adment sub\u00adsidy that my Con\u00adgress\u00adman gets,\u201d the trou\u00adbled slug\u00adger said through his spokesperson.<\/p>\n The White House aide brushed aside con\u00adcerns about the optics of pro\u00advid\u00ading mil\u00adlion\u00adaires like Rodriguez with sub\u00adsi\u00addies. \u201cWe crossed that bridge when we decid\u00aded to let mil\u00adlion\u00adaire Sen\u00ada\u00adtors like (Jay) Rock\u00ade\u00adfeller (D\u2011WV<\/span>), (Mark) Warn\u00ader (D\u2011VA<\/span>), and (Dianne) Fein\u00adstein (D\u2011CA<\/span>) help them\u00adselves to sub\u00adsi\u00addies. Heck, (Rep. Nan\u00adcy) Pelosi (D\u2011CA<\/span>) is eli\u00adgi\u00adble for the sub\u00adsi\u00addies and she\u2019s worth $35 mil\u00adlion<\/a>. It would\u00adn\u2019t be fair to say no to A\u2011Rod.\u201d<\/p>\n In a relat\u00aded move, the Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion is expect\u00aded to announce that it is ter\u00admi\u00adnat\u00ading its \u201chon\u00ador sys\u00adtem\u201d pro\u00adgram in which the gov\u00adern\u00adment exchanges would deter\u00admine whether an appli\u00adcant was eli\u00adgi\u00adble for sub\u00adsi\u00addies based on self-report\u00aded income. The pro\u00adgram met inter\u00adnal resis\u00adtance from the IRS<\/span>, which is in charge of dis\u00adtrib\u00adut\u00ading health insur\u00adance sub\u00adsi\u00addies and levy\u00ading a new tax on the unin\u00adsured. The tax-col\u00adlec\u00adtion agency believes that self-report\u00ading income to deter\u00admine sub\u00adsi\u00addies sets a bad prece\u00addent. If tax\u00adpay\u00aders were also allowed to \u201cself-report\u201d their incomes for fed\u00ader\u00adal tax pur\u00adpos\u00ades, the IRS<\/span> point\u00aded out, the gov\u00adern\u00adment would stand to lose hun\u00addreds of bil\u00adlions of dol\u00adlars every year when peo\u00adple under\u00adstat\u00aded their wages. That would amount to a back-door tax cut. The Pres\u00adi\u00addent adamant\u00adly oppos\u00ades tax cuts.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>If you wouldn\u2019t allow self-report\u00ading of income for tax pur\u00adpos\u00ades,\u201d an IRS<\/span> offi\u00adcial report\u00aded\u00adly told his Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion col\u00adleagues, \u201cwhy would you allow it for pur\u00adpos\u00ades of receiv\u00ading gov\u00adern\u00adment subsidies?\u201d<\/p>\n Describ\u00ading the IRS<\/span> objec\u00adtion as an \u201cAha!\u201d moment, par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpants at the meet\u00ading arrived at an out-of-the-box solu\u00adtion: expand the spe\u00adcial deal it gave Con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal employ\u00adees to all Americans.<\/p>\n The White House staffer recount\u00aded the evo\u00adlu\u00adtion in the Administration\u2019s think\u00ading. \u201cTech\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly, the Oba\u00admacare law requires us to ver\u00adi\u00adfy an applicant\u2019s income to deter\u00admine if he or she is eli\u00adgi\u00adble for sub\u00adsi\u00addies. Our IT<\/span> peo\u00adple told us flat\u00adly, \u2018That ain\u2019t gonna hap\u00adpen.\u2019 So we decid\u00aded to ignore that legal require\u00adment in favor of the \u2018hon\u00ador sys\u00adtem.\u2019 But that had its prob\u00adlems too. Why would we force peo\u00adple to lie about how much mon\u00adey they make just to get health insur\u00adance subsidies?<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>So then some\u00adbody said, \u2018Hey wait! Didn\u2019t we just ignore that oth\u00ader legal require\u00adment so that Con\u00adgress\u00admen can get their sub\u00adsi\u00addies? Why don\u2019t we just ille\u00adgal\u00adly expand the spe\u00adcial deal that we ille\u00adgal\u00adly gave Congress?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Asked whether that would result in increased spend\u00ading, the spokesper\u00adson explained, \u201cRepub\u00adli\u00adcans are wrong when they say that the gov\u00adern\u00adment has a spend\u00ading prob\u00adlem. The Pres\u00adi\u00addent has it right: gov\u00adern\u00adment doesn\u2019t have a spend\u00ading prob\u00adlem, it has a health care prob\u00adlem. The solu\u00adtion is more health care spend\u00ading. Lots more.\u201d<\/p>\n Pressed by a reporter on the effect of the new pol\u00adi\u00adcy on the nation\u00adal debt, the aide bris\u00adtled. \u201cI am so<\/em> over the \u2018nation\u00adal debt\u2019 thing. Sor\u00adry, Tea Par\u00adty. We won. The debt\u2019s going up. High\u00ader than CBO<\/span>\u2019s pis\u00adsant spread\u00adsheets can count. Get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Besides,\u201d she con\u00adtin\u00adued, \u201cif Tea Par\u00adty types don\u2019t like it, they can pay full price for their health insur\u00adance. It\u2019s their choice. Nobody\u2019s forc\u00ading them to take gov\u00adern\u00adment subsidies.\u201d<\/p>\n The aide also dis\u00admissed legal con\u00adcerns about the bold new pol\u00adi\u00adcy. \u201cRepub\u00adli\u00adcans will say that the law pro\u00adhibits ordi\u00adnary Amer\u00adi\u00adcans from receiv\u00ading these sub\u00adsi\u00addies,\u201d she said. \u201cSo what? It pro\u00adhibits Sen\u00ada\u00adtors and Con\u00adgress\u00admen from receiv\u00ading them too, but we\u2019re doing it any\u00adway. Deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n The new pol\u00adi\u00adcy may not be the last Oba\u00admacare-relat\u00aded announce\u00adment from an Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion that has repeat\u00aded\u00adly sur\u00adprised sup\u00adport\u00aders and crit\u00adics alike by jet\u00adti\u00adson\u00ading or ignor\u00ading some of the law\u2019s most sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant provisions.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>What makes imple\u00adment\u00ading Oba\u00admacare so damn hard,\u201d the White House aide con\u00adfid\u00aded, \u201cis the Oba\u00admacare law. I mean, have you even tried<\/em> to read that thing? And the regs \u2013 total<\/em> shit\u00adshow! I mean every week we have to announce that we\u2019re sus\u00adpend\u00ading enforce\u00adment of this pro\u00advi\u00adsion, ignor\u00ading that one, waiv\u00ading anoth\u00ader, delay\u00ading this, not enforc\u00ading that, inter\u00adpret\u00ading some\u00adthing else in a way that is so clear\u00adly unlaw\u00adful that our attor\u00adneys lock them\u00adselves in a room and start cut\u00adting them\u00adselves. It nev\u00ader ends.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Plus, after try\u00ading every\u00adthing \u2013 and I do mean every\u00adthing<\/em> \u2013 for three years, most peo\u00adple still don\u2019t like the law. At some point, you have to ask your\u00adself if it\u2019s even worth defend\u00ading. We\u2019ve waived, ignored and wished away pret\u00adty much the whole thing. What\u2019s left?<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Final\u00adly, some\u00adone said, \u2018Wait a minute! Why should we be stuck sup\u00adport\u00ading a law that nobody likes and even we can\u2019t defend? Why can\u2019t we be for gov\u00adern\u00adment-run health care but against Obamacare?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>It sound\u00aded kind of crazy at first, but think about it. All the Pres\u00adi\u00addent ever want\u00aded was an incred\u00adi\u00adbly expen\u00adsive and com\u00adplete\u00adly unaf\u00adford\u00adable new health care enti\u00adtle\u00adment that would bank\u00adrupt future gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans,\u201d the aide said. \u201cCon\u00adgress sent him this mess of a law. Now peo\u00adple are blam\u00ading Oba\u00adma for Oba\u00admacare. It\u2019s just so unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n But doesn\u2019t the Pres\u00adi\u00addent sup\u00adport Oba\u00admacare? \u201cNot as much as he used to,\u201d the aide said can\u00addid\u00adly. \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong. The Pres\u00adi\u00addent strong\u00adly sup\u00adports spend\u00ading tril\u00adlions of dol\u00adlars more on health care. But he\u2019s hav\u00ading sec\u00adond thoughts about that stu\u00adpid law that Con\u00adgress passed. No won\u00adder their approval rat\u00adings are in the toilet.\u201d<\/p>\n But doesn\u2019t he need that law to imple\u00adment these mas\u00adsive changes in the health care sys\u00adtem? \u201cWe\u2019re try\u00ading to con\u00advince our lawyers that he does not. Look, we\u2019re pret\u00adty far along in imple\u00adment\u00ading this mas\u00adsive new enti\u00adtle\u00adment through vol\u00adumes of reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions and guid\u00adances that are at best loose\u00adly based on the under\u00adly\u00ading law. In many cas\u00ades, our reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions com\u00adplete\u00adly con\u00adtra\u00addict the law. We\u2019re not real\u00adly imple\u00adment\u00ading the law as writ\u00adten; we\u2019re work\u00ading around it. We\u2019ve been mak\u00ading it up as we go along for three years now. Look at all the spe\u00adcial deals we\u2019ve made for Con\u00adgress, cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions and labor unions.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>When you come down to it, we\u2019re remak\u00ading the entire health care sys\u00adtem by exec\u00adu\u00adtive fiat. The law just gets in the way. You could say that we\u2019re imple\u00adment\u00ading Oba\u00admacare in spite of the law. We\u2019ll enforce our reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions even if Con\u00adgress repeals the law. So, do we real\u00adly need it?\u201d<\/p>\n Empha\u00adsiz\u00ading that no final deci\u00adsions have yet been made, the aide pon\u00addered the polit\u00adi\u00adcal earth\u00adquake that the poten\u00adtial announce\u00adment would set off.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>What will Repub\u00adli\u00adcans do if Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma asks Con\u00adgress to repeal Obamacare?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Oba\u00adma Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion, which recent\u00adly announced that it would pro\u00advide Sen\u00ada\u00adtors and Con\u00adgress\u00admen with gen\u00ader\u00adous gov\u00adern\u00adment sub\u00adsi\u00addies for their health insur\u00adance despite the fact that the Oba\u00admacare law denies those sub\u00adsi\u00addies, is expect\u00aded to announce lat\u00ader this week that it is extend\u00ading this spe\u00adcial deal \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading