Last week, the NYT reported on how members of Congress and their staff were upset that they would be required to obtain health insurance within insurance exchanges without financial support from their employer. Not to worry. On Thursday, Politico reported that the President has encouraged the federal Office of Personnel Management to find a solution. Accordingly, OPM will soon issue a regulation planned (re)interpreting the PPACA to allow continued federal support of health insurance premiums for members of Congress and Hill staff. Politico reports this change as adopted to prevent an exodus of Congressional staff. Perhaps. A more likely explanation is Administration concern that Congressional unhappiness with how the law applies to them would increase the prospect of legislative reform.
When faced with inconvenient aspects of the PPACA, the Administration is once again responding by rewriting the law. This is what the Administration did with the employer mandate, tax credits in federal exchanges, funding for federal exchanges (there is none), and many of the waivers. Why should the provisions concerning legislative personnel be any different?