How about an amendment to force members of Congress to personally use whatever health care they pass

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No single payer? No federally funded health care plan for Congress.
No public option? No publicly funded health care plan available for members of Congress to buy.
No Medicare-for-all? No federally funded health care plan for members of Congress too young for Medicare.
Mandating that Americans buy private health insurance? Mandate that members of Congress do the same. They can certainly afford it.
Jail time for those who don't buy private health insurance? Jail time for members of Congress who don't buy it either.
They should have to take whatever they dish out.

[dysfunctional press]

1. and how do you expect to get congress to vote to put these restrictions on themselves...?

:shrug:

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7. Peer pressure and the tool of shame

The good guys, like Kucinich and Sanders, introducing it and pledging that they will abide by it, then a climate of shame spread on any member who won't.

[dysfunctional press]

10. you forgot the sarcasm smilie.

because i KNOW that you can't be serious about using "peer pressure and the tool of shame" to influence congress-people.


"shame"...:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

no, really this time- how would you ever get congress to pass these kinds of restrictions on themselves...? :shrug:

[KansDem]

8. This was addressed in Newt's "Contract with America" (1994)

Government reform
On the first day of their majority, the Republicans promised to hold floor votes on eight reforms of government operations:

require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply to Congress;
select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
limit the terms of all committee chairs;
ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
require committee meetings to be open to the public;
require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
and implement a zero base-line budgeting process for the annual Federal Budget.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_with_America

I guess in the six years the GOP held the White House, both Houses of Congress, the Supreme Court, and most of the media, someone forgot to implement this one...:shrug:

[dysfunctional press]

9. and term limits as well.

if they won't do it when they themselves have the idea- why would they ever do it when it's someone else's idea..?

[endless october]

2. agree.

kr

[MercutioATC]

3. That's just silly.

Members of Congress have an employer. That employer is the federal government. As such, they're entitled to (and currently receive) the same health insurance options that every other federal employee gets.

While I agree that they're out of touch on many of the issues, they are entitled to the health care benefits provided by their employer.

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11. No, what's silly is

giving them the power to decide on a health care system that doesn't apply to them. That's silly. And it's hypocritical for them to decide that a particular system is right for the American people if they are supposed to represent the American people yet they aren't affected by it themselves.

[MercutioATC]

13. They legislate any number of things that don't apply to them.

That's kinda their job.

[Andy823]

4. I like it but

Since most of them are worth millions, I doubt that it would affect their ability to make ends meet as it will millions of americans who aren't worth millions!

Not only should we take away their health care, but we need to take away their ability to get millions from groups that give them money to vote against what is needed, and instead vote whatever way those who give them the money want them to. Of course that also would require them to implement such a law, and that is not gong to ever happen!

[Lars39]

5. Make it proportional to their total income.

Since quite a few are very well off.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. It would ensure that only the wealthy would be able to serve in Congress

[Tailormyst]

12. They can afford the insurance.

The ones most hurt are the middle and working classes. This bill doesn't hurt them in any way.

[RB TexLa]

14. They already do, they get their employer's plan.

[HopeHoops]

15. That's EXACTLY what I've been saying all along - good enough for us, then good enough for them.

One plan for everybody including members of Congress.