Congress Members and Free Medical Coverage

[W. Gray]

Congressman Martin Frost, D-Texas, served twenty-six years in Congress representing the Dallas-Ft Worth area.

Attached is an article written two year ago addressing free medical care for Congressman, cafeteria medical plans, Medicare, and social security.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,308378,00.html

[Diane Amberg]

Thank you!!!!!!

[pamsback]

  Good....Information.

[Anmar]

thanks for posting this

[flintauqua]

Yes, thank you Waldo!

[Wilma]

Thank you, Waldo.  I have known this for some time, but I am never able to present the facts when called for.  I hope this quiets some of the accusations voiced on this forum.

[pamsback]

Hey I thought it was free for em but I can admit when I was mistaken

[greatguns]

Good for you.  Thanks.

[Varmit]

Interesting post waldo, kinda goes with what I found on the subject...

"Cengressmen earn six-figure salaries and enjoy perks constituents can only dream about. But do Americans believe the compensation is fair for the demands of the job?...In addition to their federal health benefits, members of Congress can receive free outpatient care at either Bethesda Naval Hospital or Walter Reed Army Medical Center. For a small annual fee ($275 for the House; $520 for the Senate) they also get on-site treatment from the Capitol Office of the Attending Physician. Ruskin scoffs at members' arguments that the perks they are afforded barely offset their costs of maintaining two households -- one in Washington and another in their home districts. On top of their annual salary, pensions and health-care benefits, he notes, members also receive a $3,000 annual housing-allowance deduction."

Here is the rest of the article..

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_10_16/ai_60130260/pg_2/?tag=content;col1

[flintauqua]

For the record, Billy, your article is nine years old, so the costs the members of Congress pay should have gone up.  If they haven't . . . . And the congressmen quoted in the article are Sen. James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

No bloviating or vitriol from me on this one.  Members of Congress do enjoy some perks that are not available to the average citizen.  However, (I will make one small point) with the exception of free care at the two aforementioned government hospitals, the congressmen and women's health care package it not very different than what middle management and higher enjoy at a Fortune 500 company.

Charles