Lawmakers join state exchanges ahead of tough 2014 election battles

Some Washington lawmakers are joining their home state insurance marketplaces ahead of 2014's elections so they can say they are getting the same health law choices as constituents. In the meantime, Politico looks at the premium costs for one prominent member and The Washington Post fact checks some claims about health law coverage made by Sen. Ted Cruz.

Politico: Politics Shadow Senators' Health Exchange Choices
Some of the Senate's most vulnerable members in the 2014 elections are giving up government contributions toward their own health insurance under Obamacare next year as voter sentiment turns against the president's signature program. Several are signing up for their home state exchanges instead of Washington's, allowing them to say they're in the same boat as constituents (Villacorta and Haberkorn, 11/25).

Politico: John Boehner's Premiums Spike Under Obamacare
Don't expect to hear the Ohio Republican complain about his personal price spike, but he's one of many older lawmakers and aides who are just finding out how much more they will have to pay as they move from the old Federal Employees Health Benefits system to coverage in the District of Columbia's new health insurance exchange, as required by a provision in the Affordable Care Act and subsequent federal regulations. That will be true, too, for some consumers across the country who are transitioning into the exchanges (Allen, 11/24).

The Washington Post's The Fact Checker: Ted Cruz's Fuzzy Math About The 'Trade-Off At The Heart Of Obamacare'
Cruz's math in this interview was quite unlike any figures The Fact Checker had heard or seen before, so let's explore how the senator came up with his numbers. Under Cruz's calculations, 200 million people are at risk of losing their insurance in order to benefit just 15 to 20 million people -- while leaving 30 million uninsured (Kessler, 11/25).