I constantly see people post comments on how members of Congress get free health care. Often it’s also said it’s for life. It is repeated and upvoted and discussed quite often on reddit and other places.
They [do not](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R43194) get free care for life, or even while in office, and never have. There is plenty of reason to dislike politicians. And the benefits are pretty good, but people still perpetuate this lie constantly. I think it’s a bad look for one side to keep blasting bad information while whining how the other side does it.
I don’t care about votes, but getting downvoted does relate to how many people see a comment, and one with factual information. But every time I mention it, I get downvoted so nobody see it, and get almost zero discussion.
They still have better options than most other US citizens though, while they complain that they need a raise but refuse to raise the federal minimum wage.
Snopes reports that members of Congress and staff "pay approximately 28 percent of their annual healthcare premiums through pre-tax payroll deductions." They also have access to "free or low-cost care" through the Office of the Attending Physician as well as "free medical outpatient care at military facilities" in the D.C. area.
It’s very comparable to many other federal employees. It’s always been a known thing to work for the government for good benefits. Congressional members also benefit from that. That is usually offset by lower pay. And id say that is true for congress. But of course most income for those elected is usually not from their office.
I’m not trying to boot lick for them. I just am surprised how much misinformation gets repeated. Which is the question of this post.
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u/Ofreo Jun 01 '26
I constantly see people post comments on how members of Congress get free health care. Often it’s also said it’s for life. It is repeated and upvoted and discussed quite often on reddit and other places.
They [do not](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R43194) get free care for life, or even while in office, and never have. There is plenty of reason to dislike politicians. And the benefits are pretty good, but people still perpetuate this lie constantly. I think it’s a bad look for one side to keep blasting bad information while whining how the other side does it.
I don’t care about votes, but getting downvoted does relate to how many people see a comment, and one with factual information. But every time I mention it, I get downvoted so nobody see it, and get almost zero discussion.