Obamacare’s Democrat Defender Sen. Gary Peters Enjoys ‘Gold-Plated, Taxpayer-Paid Health Insurance’

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) enjoys what has been described as a “gold-plated, taxpayer-paid health insurance plan not available to the public,” his recently filed annual personal disclosure report reveals.

Peters, a fierce proponent of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, enjoys a rather exclusive, taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plan through the Michigan Legislative Retirement Health Program, according to his annual personal disclosure report. This plan is not accessible to the public, yet subsidized by taxpayers. Because it was created prior to the Affordable Care Act, which Peters credits with helping “half a million Michiganders access health insurance” and providing “vital protections to 1.7 people across the state with preexisting health conditions,” it is largely spared from ACA hindrances.

The campaign for Republican John James, Peters’ challenger, described the revelation as the “height of hypocrisy.”

“This is the height of hypocrisy, but not surprising from a 30-year career politician who has consistently failed to show up for work and failed to allow himself to be held accountable to the public he was elected to represent,” campaign spokesperson Abby Walls said in a statement.

“The reason for Peters’ failure to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs is clear. Peters simply does not face the increase in price and decrease in quality of care because he’s on an exclusive, taxpayer funded available to a select few,” she continued.

According to the press release, the 2019 annual report was due to the Senate May 15, which “would have allowed voters plenty of time to review Peters financial interests as they considered their pick for Senate.”

“Due to the COVID-19 crisis an option was provided to request a filing extension of 90-days, to August 13th,” the release added.

While Peters’ official website praises the ACA, crediting it with “drastically” cutting Michigan’s uninsured rate, it adds that the lawmaker has acknowledged its flaws and “supported bipartisan, commonsense efforts to fix portions of the healthcare law so it works better for Michigan families and businesses”:

He has worked hard to defend the ACA from numerous attacks. Gary voted against efforts to repeal the ACA in July 2017 and he spoke out several times against these proposals on the Senate floor. He has also vigorously opposed the Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal the ACA through the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas and vowed to continue fighting to ensure we do not return to the days when insurance companies could discriminate against people with preexisting health conditions, charge them more or impose annual of lifetime limits on coverage.

RealClearPolitics currently ranks the Peters-James race as a “toss-up,” with Peters 7.7 percent ahead. James has outraised his opponent, raising $19.5 million throughout the campaign, as Breitbart News reported.