No Health Care For Lawmakers Until Every American Has Affordable Health Care
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on October 17, 2025.
No Health Care For Lawmakers Until Every American Has Affordable Health Care
By Lynn R. Webster, M.D.
Millions of Americans stand on the brink of losing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that make their health insurance barely affordable. Without congressional action to extend those subsidies, families will face staggering premium hikes—forcing impossible choices between coverage and rent, groceries, or prescription drugs. Many will simply go without insurance.
Meanwhile, every member of Congress continues to enjoy taxpayer-funded health insurance, untouched by the very uncertainty they allow their constituents to endure. That disparity is indefensible.
A simple idea that would change the equation is that no elected representative in Congress should receive taxpayer-funded health care until every American has access to affordable health care.
If lawmakers had to share the same risks as their constituents, the urgency of reform would shift overnight. They would feel, in their own lives, the dread of losing coverage or facing premiums that devour a paycheck. They would no longer be insulated from the hardships they are sworn to alleviate. This is not about punishment—it is about accountability and alignment. When their own well-being depends on fixing the system, solutions would rise above partisan theater.
Skeptics will point out that the Constitution protects congressional compensation, and they are right. Courts might interpret health benefits as part of that protection. That is why this should not be ordinary legislation. It should be a constitutional amendment—one that makes the principle unambiguous: members of Congress cannot enjoy taxpayer-funded health coverage until the people they serve have genuine access to affordable care.
Passing an amendment is never easy. But history shows it can be done when fairness demands it. Women’s suffrage, civil rights, and lowering the voting age all required constitutional change. Each once seemed out of reach—until public demand made it unstoppable.
This proposal does not dictate the specific policy mechanism—whether through extended subsidies, a public option, or another path. It sets only the principle that Congress must solve the problem before claiming benefits for itself. That principle is fairness.
And fairness should transcend party lines. At a time when the nation feels divided on nearly every issue, the idea that our leaders should not receive what they deny their constituents ought to unite, not separate us. Making congressional health care contingent on achieving affordable care for all Americans could become a rare opportunity to bridge political divides and move the country toward greater unity.
Health care is not a privilege reserved for the political class. It is a necessity for every family. Across the nation, millions face losing coverage while their elected representatives remain fully protected. The injustice is clear.
Until every American has access to affordable health care, no member of Congress should accept it either. If they want the benefits, they must deliver them for the people they represent. Anything less is a betrayal of public trust.