According to an account from a Capitol Hill staffer in Politico, newly elected Maryland congressman Andy Harris -- who ran on an anti-health care reform platform -- wanted to know why it was taking so long for him to get his government-subsidized health care.
He demanded to know during freshman orientation why his government health care wouldn't kick in for a month, according to the account. It starts in February, a month after he's sworn in, something he says is unusual and, according to one of his staffers, inefficient.
He ousted the Eastern Shore Democrat Frank Kratovil even though he voted against the health care reform package. Harris wants to repeal the law.
The staffer said Harris asked if he could buy insurance from the government to cover the month-long gap, and Politico said the aide "was struck by the similarity to Harris's request and the public option he denounced as a gateway to socialized medicine."
So, is this a non-issue for a congressman intitled to insurance coverage from the government because he'll be working for the government? Or is Harris demanding generous health care benefits that he doesn't think other American's (employed or not) should enjoy?
Associated Press photo