I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 499 

To require members of Congress and congressional staff to abide by the 

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with respect to health insurance coverage, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 12, 2017 

Mr. DESANTIS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the 

Committees on House Administration, Ways and Means, and Energy and 

Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require members of Congress and congressional staff to 

abide by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care 

Act with respect to health insurance coverage, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Exemption for 

5 Washington from Obamacare Act’’. 


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•HR 499 IH

1 SEC. 2. HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR CERTAIN 

2 CONGRESSIONAL STAFF AND MEMBERS OF 

3 THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. 

4 Section 1312(d)(3)(D) of the Patient Protection and 

5 Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18032(d)(3)(D)) is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) by striking the subparagraph heading and 

8 inserting the following: 

9 ‘‘(D) MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, CONGRES10 SIONAL STAFF, AND POLITICAL APPOINTEES IN

11 THE EXCHANGE.—’’; 

12 (2) in clause (i), in the matter preceding sub13 clause (I)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘and congressional staff 

15 with’’ and inserting ‘‘, congressional staff, the 

16 President, the Vice President, and political ap17 pointees with’’; and 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘or congressional staff 

19 shall’’ and inserting ‘‘, congressional staff, the 

20 President, the Vice President, or a political ap21 pointee shall’’; 

22 (3) in clause (ii)— 

23 (A) in subclause (II), by inserting after 

24 ‘‘Congress,’’ the following: ‘‘of a committee of 

25 Congress, or of a leadership office of Con26 gress,’’; and 


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•HR 499 IH

1 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(III) POLITICAL APPOINTEE.— 

3 The term ‘political appointee’ means 

4 any individual who— 

5 ‘‘(aa) is employed in a posi6 tion described under sections 

7 5312 through 5316 of title 5, 

8 United States Code, (relating to 

9 the Executive Schedule); 

10 ‘‘(bb) is a limited term ap11 pointee, limited emergency ap12 pointee, or noncareer appointee 

13 in the Senior Executive Service, 

14 as defined under paragraphs (5), 

15 (6), and (7), respectively, of sec16 tion 3132(a) of title 5, United 

17 States Code; or 

18 ‘‘(cc) is employed in a posi19 tion in the executive branch of 

20 the Government of a confidential 

21 or policy-determining character 

22 under schedule C of subpart C of 

23 part 213 of title 5 of the Code of 

24 Federal Regulations.’’; and 

25 (4) by adding at the end the following: 


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•HR 499 IH

1 ‘‘(iii) GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION.— 

2 No Government contribution under section 

3 8906 of title 5, United States Code, shall 

4 be provided on behalf of an individual who 

5 is a Member of Congress, a congressional 

6 staff member, the President, the Vice 

7 President, or a political appointee for cov8 erage under this paragraph. 

9 ‘‘(iv) LIMITATION ON AMOUNT OF TAX

10 CREDIT OR COST-SHARING.—An individual 

11 enrolling in health insurance coverage pur12 suant to this paragraph shall not be eligi13 ble to receive a tax credit under section 

14 36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

15 or reduced cost sharing under section 1402 

16 of this Act in an amount that exceeds the 

17 total amount for which a similarly situated 

18 individual (who is not so enrolled) would be 

19 entitled to receive under such sections. 

20 ‘‘(v) LIMITATION ON DISCRETION FOR

21 DESIGNATION OF STAFF.—Notwith22 standing any other provision of law, a 

23 Member of Congress shall not have discre24 tion in determinations with respect to 

25 which employees employed by the office of 


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1 such Member are eligible to enroll for cov2 erage through an Exchange. 

3 ‘‘(vi) CLARIFICATION.—The terms 

4 small employer (as defined under section 

5 1304(b)(2)) and qualified employers (as 

6 defined under subsection (f)) do not in7 clude the Congress, with respect to enroll8 ments in an Exchange and a SHOP Ex9 change.’’. 

Æ 


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