On August 7, 2013, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a proposed rule on federal employee health benefits for members of Congress and congressional staff. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains a provision requiring Congress and their staff to obtain health insurance coverage via an Affordable Insurance Exchange or a health plan created by the ACA, instead of through the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. The proposed rule implements this requirement, requiring Congress and its staff to obtain Exchange coverage beginning January 1, 2014. Under the proposed rule, Congress will designate which employees are eligible for FEHB coverage by October of the year before the coverage year, and this designation is effective for the entire calendar year that the employee works for that Member of Congress. The proposed rule is available here.
