Boehner proves the wrong point

By Steve Benen

Thanks to provisions in the Affordable Care Act that Republicans demanded, members of Congress will have to sign up for health care coverage through exchange marketplaces. That’s not really the point of the exchanges – they’re largely intended for the uninsured and small businesses looking to cover their employees – but GOP lawmakers had a political point to make, and this is the result.

With that in mind, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) wrote a blog post yesterday, highlighting his own personal experience when he “sat down to try and enroll in the DC exchange.”

Like many Americans, my experience was pretty frustrating. After putting in my personal information, I received an error message. I was able to work past that, but when I went to actually sign up for coverage, I got this “internal server error” screen. <…>

Despite multiple attempts, I was unable to get past that point and sign up for a health plan. We’ve got a call into the help desk. Guess I’ll just have to keep trying…

As it turns out, his willingness to “keep trying” was a good idea. Boehner, who is not yet eligible for Medicare, “called the DC Health Link help line,” and a “few hours later,” the process was complete. He’d signed up for health insurance.

Oddly enough, the Republican House Speaker didn’t offer any details about his new health care plan. One would assume that if he’d experienced “sticker shock,” or been stuck choosing a plan that cost far more than his current coverage, Boehner would have mentioned it. Indeed, he would have been eager to mention it, since it would advance his larger political goals.

So why was Boehner silent on this point? Probably because he was able to save some money on an affordable plan – despite being a 64-year-old chain-smoker.

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http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/boehner-proves-the-wrong-point

Asked about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's push to eliminate the upper chamber's filibuster for judicial nominees, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told reporters at his weekly press conference that he thought Reid was "trying to change the subject" from the troubled rollout of Obamacare.

"Sounds to me like Harry Reid is trying to change the subject," he said. "If I were taking all the incoming fire he's taking under Obamacare, I'd try to change the subject, too."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/john-boehner-harry-reid-filibuster-nuclear-option