King Won't Give Up His Government Health Care, but Applauds Those Who Do "for Standing on Principle"

Tuesday 04 January 2011

by: Alex Seitz-Wald | Think Progress | Report

As ThinkProgress has noted, despite spending the past year and a half railing against government healthcare, just five Republican members of the 112th Congress have been willing to forgo their own government healthcare coverage, which is provided to them as federal employees. Rep.-elect Joe Walsh (R-IL) is one of those Republicans who will opt out of his congressional health package, even though his wife will have difficulty finding coverage due to her pre-existing condition (that is, until portions of President Obama’s health care law barring insurers from discriminating against people with such conditions take affect in 2014).

Asked tonight about Walsh’s suggestion that it’s hypocritical for GOP congressmen fighting Obama’s health law to keep their own government coverage, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) didn’t seem to disagree. King told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he gives Walsh “a lot of credit for standing on principle,” even though King himself won’t forgo his government coverage:

BLITZER: [H]e thinks to accept the federal government’s health insurance program would be hypocritical, do you accept the federal government’s health insurance program for yourself

KING: Well, I’m on it now, like other federal employees are –

BLITZER: Will you stay on it?

KING: I don’t intend to pull off of it, but I give Joe a lot of credit for that. I went to Joe to help him in the campaign and I give him a lot of credit for standing on principle.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/04/steve-king-walsh/

The hypocrisy of the Republican party is shameful.

How many Dems are giving up their's??

The Dems aren't the ones trying to repeal the Congresscare

Does'nt matter, they are also on the same plan. If they are trying to be "partisan" proactive like they claim, then why are'nt ANY of them giving up their benny's??

At least a few of the Repubs are doing it, but we hear of no Dems doing it.
Seems the hypocrisy is most strongest on the left.

Like that will make a statement. Those guys have plenty of money to afford health care.
The HC bill is a means to get everyone Health Care.
Those who can't afford it,
not just the rich.

These guys forgoing their Fed HC Insurance means nothing. It's a ploy,
Politics, Tom-foolery!

They'll just buy their own Insurance, accept HC lobbying "Gifts" and still get free HC, or pay cash while claiming it as another tax-brake.

It does not show solidarity with Americans, for members of congress to forgo their Fed Health Insurance.
They have no idea how millions of Americans survive day to day.

Do not be fooled by their propaganda.

That applies to ALL of them on BOTH sides.

Yep. So is the hypocrisy of the Democrat party.

This can't be a transference of blame to the Dem Party.

The Dem's have provided HC for everyone.
The Repubs all voted NO.
This does not apply to both parties.

Seriously, you can't really fall for this false symbol of solidarity?

Do you really think that by giving up their Free Fed HC,
the Republican members of Congress, will be suffering equally with every day Americans as they, the Republican Party, deny them HC?

Yes, it can be a transference of blame.
The American people made it VERY clear that they did NOT want
ObamaCare.
It has been forced on them (us), and the Repubs are going to
repeal it.

Many Americans did indeed have heathcare already, but it was
elective...by their own choice.

The Dems are trying to push a Socialist health care scam on us
and we reject it.

Obamacare will be vetoed by the courts so that whole issue is moot, all of congress needs to forced into paying for health care like the rest of us. There has been alot of buzz going around about a new amendment to the constitution to hold elected officials to the same laws and practices imposed on people.

Supposedly, members of Congress recently had a meeting, and at this meeting, the Constitution was read and reviewed, and most of the Democrat members objected to it and disagreed with certain aspects of it.

How nice.

thank goodness, man nor his laws are without imperfection or need for correction

So its okay with you that the Democrats dont agree with the Constitution??

I wouldn't think they would have to give that up to make a point. They are a government employee and should be entitled to any insurance their employer provides. Many private companies offer health insurance as a benefit so just because their employer happens to be the government I don't think they should have to give it up to oppose government HC. That's just my opinion.

They aren't denying anyone HC. They are just saying we won't pay for it. Would you say the government is denying you food, a car, a home, etc because they won't pay for it? If the government is gonna pay for everything why would I go to college and get an education? I could just work an easy part time job and have everything handed to me. Then as everyone does the same we have no more high paided workers so our economy crashes cause everything was paid for by the rich. We have no more doctors or lawyers or dentists or vets. What a wonderful future.

The above is spin (i.e. a LIE).

The Dems did not provide health care for everyone... They provided health care for 11 million people that fell through the cracks and in the process f'ed up the Health Care of some 300 million people that allready had it...

but of course we should not put facts on the table... that would ruin the spin.

The Reps are not trying to deny health coverage to anyone. Everyone is free to work, earn a living, and buy their own. The Reps are trying to limit federal programs that will lead to bankruptcy.

There is no provision in the constitution that requires the Federal Government to provide universal healthcare.

Very true, but the leftist socialists are riding on the entittlement bandwagon.
They think that they and everyone else is entittled to govt. sponsored healthcare.

And no where does any of our sacred documents say that the govt. is to supply anything to the people other than protection and our rights.

Since healthcare is neither a protection, nor a right, the leftists are all screaming and crying that they might get their toy taken away

Actually the spinner here is the latter post. None of which is factual.

Repubs should be willing to give up what they want to deny the American people.

There should be