House Speaker John Boehner has spoken passionately about making sure lawmakers and their staff do not receive any Obamacare exemptions.
But Politico reported Tuesday that before staking out that position, the Ohio Republican was working hard to quietly make sure Congress could get new subsidies to cover their health insurance plans.
The most stunning quote in the story? Politico cites a source saying Boehner suggested this summer that he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “could quietly slip some language into a bill to end the problem without it receiving any public attention.”
“When I was in the state legislature, we used to stick things in [bills] and no one would notice,” Boehner reportedly said, according to Politico, though the idea was dropped.
The outlet reported that Boehner does not recall making the comment.
The Office of Personnel Management announced in August that it plans to provide a subsidy of about 75 percent of the cost for the healthcare of members and staff.
The Obamacare fix for lawmakers and staff was made because the Affordable Care Act includes an amendment from a Republican senator that changes how the government currently covers most of the cost of health-care premiums for members and their staffers.
The new law mandates that members and staff must enter into exchanges or be covered by insurance “created” by law.