Lawmakers get own healthcare through medical insurance scam: Court papers
*October 16, 2014 *6:29 AM MST [image: Full Segment: We talk to HuffPost Politics reporter Sabrina Siddiqui about President Obama's "joke" on the state of Congress, a new healthcare announcement, and where the U.S. stands on Syria.] Play Full Segment: We talk to HuffPost Politics reporter Sabrina Siddiqui about President Obama's "joke" on the state of Congress, a new healthcare announcement, and where the U.S. stands on Syria. *on.aol.com <http://on.aol.com>* Although passed into law to benefit small businesses defined as firms having a maximum of 50 employees, the District of Colombia's Small Business Exchange <http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Vining-v-DC-Health-Benefit-Exchange-Complaint.pdf> forks over full healthcare insurance coverage to more than 12,000 members of both houses of the U.S. Congress, congressional staffers, spouses, children up to the ages of 26-years-old and other dependents, a Beltway watchdog group that investigates and exposes government corruption reported on Wednesday. [image: In yet another example of government lawlessness, it's been reported that members of both houses of Congress and their families are enrolled in a government program supposedly for small businesses.] In yet another example of government lawlessness, it's been reported that members of both houses of Congress and their families are enrolled in a government program supposedly for small businesses. *Courtesy of Police Times/AFPCC* The attorneys at public-interest organization, Judicial Watch, filed a taxpayers lawsuit in civil court on Wednesday naming the District of Columbia Health Benefit Exchange <http://hbx.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/Health%20Benefit%20Exchange%20Authority/release_content/attachments/SHOPNumbersCONGRESSfinal.pdf> as the defendant in an effort to stop U.S. Senators and members of the House of Representatives from openly and brazenly skimming taxpayer money for their own healthcare plans and those of their employees, families and anyone else they feel should share their benefits, according to the group's public affairs office. According to the complaint, the attorneys for the plaintiff claim that a total of 12,359 members of Congress, congressional staffers, their spouses and dependents currently obtain comprehensive health insurance in D.C.’s “Small Business Exchange” regardless of the fact that Congress far exceeds D.C. law’s 50-employee limit for participating in the exchange. The lawsuit also names the Exchange Authority and its Executive Director, Mila Kofman, as defendants. It was filed on behalf of D.C. taxpayer Kirby Vining, who is the plaintiff of record <http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Vining-v-DC-Health-Benefit-Exchange-Complaint.pdf> . Judicial Watch’s lawsuit is far from trivial and the evidence is shocking in its example of the Washington elites' audacity. The applications of both the Senate and the House -- obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request for documents -- show that they falsely claimed they have only 45 workers each. The documents also reveal that the House and Senate attested to having “50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees," according to the plaintiff's attorneys. On its face, that statement is a lie, since the U.S. Congress employs well over 20,000 workers. The law clearly limits participation in the exchange to small businesses having fewer than 50 full-time employees. The applications also falsely state that the House and Senate are “local/state governments.” The “electronic signature” section of the application includes the following language: *"I’ve provided true and correct information to all the questions on this form to the best of my knowledge. I know that if I’m not truthful, there may be a penalty." * "It doesn't take a master detective to see the obvious deception. If an American citizen attests to a lie on a legal document. guess what happens to him or her?" said former police detective and corporate security investigator, John C. Karabato, who specializes in fraud cases. Even more disturbing than the applications' deceptive statements, is the fact that the actual names of those signing the documents were redacted by the D.C. Exchange. "What's so secret about applications for healthcare for politicians? As it is they're collecting our information as a result of Obamacare," said Karabato. According to the Judicial Watch lawsuit <http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Vining-v-DC-Health-Benefit-Exchange-Complaint.pdf>: *"In March 2012, the D.C. Council enacted “The Health Benefit Exchange Authority Establishment Act of 2011,” establishing an Individual Exchange and a Small Business Exchange. In Fiscal Year 2013 and 2014, the Council appropriated $77,055,000 in General Fund revenues – taxpayer dollars – to create, administer, and operate the Exchanges.* *“Since November 2013, the Exchange Authority has allowed the U.S. House of Representatives (“the House”) and the U.S. Senate (“the Senate”) (collectively “Congress”) to use the Small Business Exchange to provide health insurance to members of Congress, certain congressional staffers, and their spouses and dependents.* *“When Congress applied to participate in the Small Business Exchange, representatives falsely asserted that the House and the Senate each employ 50 or fewer full-time employees. Specifically, records provided by the Exchange Authority in response to a Freedom of Information Act request show that both the House and the Senate falsely claimed that they each employ only 45 full-time employees.”* __._,_.___ ------------------------------ Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected]> ------------------------------ Visit Your Group <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNGxpcGFhBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0MTM0NjczMjI-> [image: Yahoo! Groups] <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlOTFtMjNzBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTQxMzQ2NzMyMg--> • Privacy <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> • Unsubscribe <[email protected]?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> __,_._,___ -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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