Now: make members of Congress buy health insurance like the rest of individual Americans ... by gimleteye

There's something every day that amazes me about our democracy and an insulated, protected elite that dominates from Congress. Who knew members of Congress are allowed to trade on inside information, and that some get rich doing so? Now that the Senate has been shamed into reform, here is the other Congressional perk that needs reform: gold plated health care insurance for members and their families.

I just spent an hour on the phone yesterday with Aetna, my "health care provider". My individual family policy is based on a $5000 deductible. I have no claims history, yet the price was arbitrarily increased from $780 to $1100 per month. The policy covers one of my children, my wife and I.

I wanted to go down in cost, not up. After an hour on the phone, I now have a less expensive policy. It also has vastly lower protections and coverage, including a $10,000 deductible.

I think we all know what a $10,000 deductible means: unless there is a catastrophic illness or accident in my family, I will be paying out-of-pocket for virtually everything associated with ordinary, routine medical care. A hernia I decided NOT to get surgery on, last year, cost me thousands of dollars I had to pay out of pocket. That's insurance?

If members of Congress couldn't rely on their soft health care cushion, they would be in the same boat as ordinary voters and taxpayers. I'm sure corporations with their purchasing power get much better deals that individuals like me, who once thought government was to protect people equally. Put Congress on the same side as people, not corporations. Put another way, I will believe corporations are people when a corporation has to decide whether or not to have that hernia surgery it needs but may not be able to afford.