This is a no brainer. The FEHB is already an exchange. So, the idea that staffers have to be removed from a federal health exchange is mute.

The Office of Personnel Management made a ruling the staffers don't have to be removed form the FEHB because they would only have to seek to apply again. I am sure there would be a lawsuit that would require staffers to be put back on the federal exchange. There are no State Exchanges needed here. The Federal Government is their employer. The Federal Government can have it's own health care exchange and in fact it meets all requirements thereof. This amendment is politics and has no basis in anything legal.

It is ridiculous to think the Federal Government can't supply a health care exchange to it's own employees based in it's own law.

The Federal Government does NOT have to have every private insurance company as an option. The Federal Government, no different than any other government authority can be self insured as long as it meets regulations. What does Vitter think he is doing? 

This entire objection is crazy. Any entity can self insure. If a company wants to self-insure it's employees it can do that so long as it meets regulations. The Exchanges are there for folks without insurance and to assist folks in choosing the best policies available. Self-insured employers simply become exchanges for their employees to sign on to.

How is this being so misinterpreted? Are private insurance companies supplying the advise to everyone else? Well, hello? 

If I were Bain Capital and decided out of the clear blue the best investment was to enter the frey as a health care exchange I could that. Anyone that can QUALIFY can do that. There is NOTHING that outlaws any local, county, state or federal government from being a health care exchange.

There is nothing that states ONLY PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES are the options available. Everyone is fine where they are so long as the companies or government agencies are in compliance of the law. There is no issue here and I can now understand how Vitter didn't submit the text to the public because there is nothing here that matters.

The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program (click here)

The FEHB Program can help you and your family meet your health care needs. Federal employees, retirees and their survivors enjoy the widest selection of health plans in the country. You can choose from among Consumer-Driven and High Deductible plans that offer catastrophic risk protection with higher deductibles, health savings/reimbursable accounts and lower premiums, or Fee-for-Service (FFS) plans, and their Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), or Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) if you live (or sometimes if you work) within the area serviced by the plan.

Basic FEHB Eligibility (click here)

As a Federal employee, you are eligible to elect FEHB coverage, unless your position is excluded by law or regulation. Your agency applies these rules and determines your eligibility. However, there are numerous special provisions for people in part-time or intermittent employment, temporary appointments, and specifically named positions. This chapter in the FEHB Handbook explains these provisions.