Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.)
(CNSNews.com) – During a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Obamacare on Wednesday, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) told Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that he thinks Obamacare will save him money by subsidizing an insurance policy for his 33-year-old son.
Under Obamacare, Americans making less than 400 percent of the poverty level can get their health insurance subsidized by the taxpayers if they buy a government-approved plan in the government-run exchange.
Taxpayers pay Doyle an annual salary of $174,000 for serving in Congress.
However, Doyle told Sebelius he "thinks" his wife is now paying his "self-employed" 33-year-old son's health insurance premium, and after pushing his son to look into what was available on the government exchange discovered that he could get a plan for half the price.
“One of my four kids is self-employed. He’s 33 years old. He’s paying about $140 a month right now for a Blue Cross plan. He’s eligible for a subsidy. We browse that site. He’s going to be able to get coverage for about half of what he’s paying right now, and that’s good news for us, because I think my wife is paying his premium, so I think we’re going to save the money,” Doyle said.
Health and Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the committee on the enrollment issues people were experiencing on the Obamacare website, Healthcare.gov.
Doyle suggested that Sebelius mount a “real marketing campaign” to reach out to young people at the end of November when the Obama administration says the website should be fully functional.
Doyle said he and his wife had to “prod” his 33-year-old self-employed son to go on Healthcare.gov to enroll.
“I think for a lot of young people, they’re not going to do it unless it’s easy, so it’s important we get that fixed,” Doyle told Sebelius.