Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
An under-the-radar measure in the CR that would allow lawmakers to switch from the Affordable Care Act D.C. exchange to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program could cause last-minute complications for the package.
Why it matters: It would partially undo a provision written into the law at the time the ACA passed requiring members of Congress and their staffs to receive health insurance on the exchange, by allowing members to opt out.
- The concern is that the shift, which would take effect in January 2026, could bestow cushier benefits on lawmakers and their families. And it's not the only provision in the CR that could benefit lawmakers: The package would also lift a long-running prohibition on pay raises for members.
What they're saying: Politicians on both sides of the aisle are already raising concerns with the precedent that the bill would set.
- Democratic Rep. Jared Golden posted on X this morning that "as long as raises and new health care perks for members are in the CR, I will vote against it."
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also weighed in, saying he would propose a constitutional amendment that says "Congress shall make no law respecting the citizens of the United States that does not also apply to members of Congress themselves."
Others appear supportive. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's staffer Caleb Smith posted on X that when he and his family went on the exchange as a congressional staffer, "our plan options dwindled year after year, until all that was left was pricey coverage."
The intrigue: House leadership agreed to the health benefit changes, with a Democratic leadership aide telling Axios in a statement that "the changes to member healthcare in the bill text were made by Republican and Democratic leadership as part of a bipartisan negotiation."
The bottom line: Anything that peels away Democratic votes from the package could make things uncomfortably tight because quite a few conservatives are already on record as opposing the funding bill.
- Although the issue may not be enough to tank the government funding package, it could add to eleventh-hour agita with votes looming in the House and Senate.
