As announced to the press today by Valerie Jarrett, President Obama is expected to sign up for his own health insurance plan today. He's had since October 1 to do so, but waited until today's deadline to "to lead by example," or something.
Just off phone w/Valerie Jarrett @vj44 POTUS will sign up for for Health Insurance on the Market place by the end of today 2 lead by example
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) December 23, 2013
Via Jim Geraghty:
This is actually not necessary for the president, as “the President, while in office, has access to treatment by military hospitals and doctors as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. His family, as his dependents, also shares in this benefit. In the past, when Presidents have been sick or injured in office, they have almost always been treated at military hospital establishments. The cost of this treatment is borne by the taxpayers as part of the military budget appropriated by Congress.” As a federal employee, the president has a choice of about ten family plans, but it’s not clear how much, if any, President Obama pays out of pocket: The Los Angeles Times: “The White House medical unit, with a staff of four doctors plus nurses and physicians’ assistants, is steps from his office. Treatment is free for Obama and his family (as well as for the vice president and his family).”