Protesters in St. Charles rally against congressmen's health care perks
With a bloated Fox River raging under the bridge they stood on, about 20 local Tea Party members gathered Wednesday on Main Street in St. Charles to support washing away the Affordable Care Act.
An American Flag and a pair of 5-foot-long “Repeal Obamacare” banners were the first items on display by the protesters. Then came the handmade signs with catchphrases such as “Obama cares, but not for you” and “End taxpayer-funded perks for Congress.”
It was the sentiment captured by the second slogan that was most prominent on protesters' minds.
Judy Fanizza of Batavia said she and several protesters recently met with Randy Hultgren, Republican congressman for the 14th District, because they believed Congress was exempt from the act. Hultgren assured them Congress was not exempt, Fanizza said, but he neglected to say where his insurance comes from now.
“They are giving themselves a subsidy, which he conveniently didn't tell us,” Fanizza said. “He was telling us how they have to go on Obamacare, and how hard it was. Well, they went around the law to set themselves up as small businesses so they could get subsidies. And that's just not right. We're so tired of this. We're a bunch of angry people.”
During the sausage-making of the Affordable Care Act, Republicans included an amendment that requires Congress to get insurance through the Obamacare exchanges. That was a major change in more ways than one.
The exchanges were intended for people who could not receive insurance through their employers. At the time, Congress was enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program in a plan that was largely underwritten by the federal government. Losing access to the program was seen as the equivalent of a pay cut amounting to as much as $10,000.
To provide a way around that, the federal Office of Personnel Management created a rule that allowed the federal government to still pay the majority of health care premiums for members of Congress and their staffs.. That subsidy is available to members who enroll in a program created by the Affordable Care Act in Washington, D.C., for individuals, families and small businesses.
That's the plan Hultgren enrolled himself and his staff in two years ago, keeping them eligible for the subsidy.
Mary Boncher of St. Charles said Hultgren and the “establishment Republicans” are “just as bad as the liberals” when it comes to looking out for themselves.
“The Republicans promised they would do things when they got control; they haven't done anything,” Boncher said.
Boncher believes if the subsidies go away and Congress must live under the law like regular citizens, they'll find new pressure to repeal the entire act.
As cars crammed through St. Charles during rush hour, the number of commuters honking horns in support of the protesters totaled in the dozens during the 90 minutes the signs were on display. They also attracted the attention of state Sen. Jim Oberweis, who came out to support the protest and Hultgren's office.
David Carlin, Hultgren's district director, said Hultgren is well aware of the concern about the subsidy. He passed out literature highlighting the 56 times Hultgren voted to repeal, replace or defund the Affordable Care Act.
“I appreciate their ability to make their opinions known,” Carlin said. “They do know the congressman has voted their way many times.”
Not everyone was there to protest the Affordable Care Act. Patrick O'Connor of St. Charles stood at the eastern end of the bridge with a sign that read, “The Tea Party likes Nickelback.”
O'Connor said he showed up to counter the protest after seeing racist fliers promoting the event.
“They basically said if you're sick and tired of Obamacare paying for illegal immigrants and Muslims, come out and protest at the bridge today,” O'Connor said. “I don't want people to think St. Charles is just a closed-minded Republican conclave.”