Vitter: Put all Senate staff on ObamaCare

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is hoping to push every Senate staffer into ObamaCare’s exchanges using Republican conference rules.

As the GOP side meets for elections Thursday morning, Vitter is proposing two resolutions that aim to stop senators from designating their staff in a way that leaves them off the marketplaces.

{mosads}The proposal would require all Republican senators to call their staff “official office” for the purposes of health insurance, requiring them to be on the exchanges. 

The Louisiana Republican also wants to challenge Democrats to adopt the same language under a separate resolution.

A provision in the healthcare law authored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) requires congressional staff to obtain health insurance through the exchanges.

Implementing the rule has been fraught with division and politics.

Some staffers remain off the exchanges because of federal guidance saying that if lawmakers designate them “official staff,” they can keep their coverage under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.

As a result, staffers’ source of health insurance can vary within and between congressional offices.

Vitter has strongly criticized the decisions to keep staff of the exchanges.

He is also the author of a bill, known as the “Vitter amendment,” that would stop the government from issuing an employer subsidy for staffers’ health insurance.

The resolution votes did not take place Thursday. An aide said they appeared to be bumped until next week.

This post was updated at 4:12 p.m.