HR 149 · 119th CongressIn Committee

Lead by Example Act of 2025

Latest updateFeb 6, 2025

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Government Operations and Politics

Sponsor

Warren Davidson

Introduced

January 3, 2025

Latest action

February 6, 2025

Legislative Progress

How far this bill has traveled through Congress

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Plain-Language Summary

AI Generated

Currently, Members of Congress and Congressional staff receive health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), which offers a range of private health plans, or through health care exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act. These benefits are funded through a combination of employee and employer contributions, similar to coverage available to other federal employees. The FEHBP provides access to a broad network of private providers and has been the standard health insurance mechanism for Congress since its establishment in 1959. This arrangement allows Members and staff to choose from multiple insurance options with varying coverage levels and costs.

The Lead by Example Act of 2025 requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to become the sole health care provider for Members of Congress and Congressional staff beginning January 3, 2027. Under this change, Congress members and their staff would receive care through the VA system—including VA medical facilities and non-VA providers contracted by the VA—as if they were veterans eligible for VA benefits. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management must jointly develop and submit an implementation plan to Congress by September 15, 2025, outlining how to transition Congress to VA care and identifying any additional legislative changes needed to execute the shift.

The transition takes effect in January 2027, providing roughly 16 months for the VA and Office of Personnel Management to prepare. The bill does not specify a dedicated funding source; instead, VA care would be provided under existing VA authorities governing veteran health services. The shift would eliminate Congressional participation in the FEHBP and health exchange plans, potentially reducing administrative costs for those programs while increasing demand on VA resources. The VA would need to expand capacity and staffing to accommodate several thousand new enrollees, and the implementation plan will determine whether legislative changes to VA eligibility or service delivery are required.

Key Provisions

1Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to furnish health care to Members of Congress and Congressional staff beginning January 3, 2027, treating them as veterans under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code.
2Prohibits the Federal Government from making available any health care plan other than VA care to Members of Congress and Congressional staff with respect to their service in Congress.
3Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to jointly submit an implementation plan to Congress by September 15, 2025, including recommendations for any legislative actions necessary to carry out the transition.
4Defines Congressional staff as employees described in section 2107(1) of title 5, United States Code, and Members of Congress to include Senators, Representatives, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.

★ Why this matters

Members of Congress and their staff would lose access to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and health exchange plans, shifting entirely to the Department of Veterans Affairs health system. The VA would need to expand its infrastructure, staffing, and capacity to serve several thousand new enrollees alongside existing veterans. Federal health insurance programs would experience reduced enrollment and administrative complexity. The change creates a unified health care system for Congress rather than the current multi-plan approach, potentially affecting provider networks, coverage options, and out-of-pocket costs for affected individuals.

● Who this affects

Members of Congress (535 Senators and Representatives, plus Delegates and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico) and Congressional staff (approximately 10,000-12,000 employees across both chambers). The Department of Veterans Affairs would face increased demand for services and may need to hire additional medical personnel and expand facilities. Private health insurers participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program would lose Congressional enrollees. Veterans already using VA services could experience longer wait times or reduced access if VA resources become strained. Federal employees in other agencies would see no direct change to their health benefits.

Bill Text

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<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 149

  To ensure that Members of Congress and Congressional staff receive 
 health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs instead of under 
     the Federal Health Benefits Program or health care exchanges.

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2025

 Mr. Davidson introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

                                 A BILL

 
  To ensure that Members of Congress and Congressional staff receive 
 health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs instead of under 
     the Federal Health Benefits Program or health care exchanges.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lead by Example Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. HEALTH CARE FURNISHED BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO 
              MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND CONGRESSIONAL STAFF.

    (a) Health Care Benefits.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, beginning January 3, 2027, the only health care plan that the 
Federal Government may make available to Members of Congress and 
Congressional staff with respect to their service as a Member of 
Congress or Congressional staff shall be health care provided through 
the Department of Veterans Affairs, including at facilities of the 
Department and non-Department facilities pursuant to chapter 17 of 
title 38, United States Code, and any other provision of law 
authorizing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish such care to 
veterans, as if such Members and staff were veterans.
    (b) Implementation Plan.--Not later than September 15, 2025, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Director of the Office of 
Personnel Management shall jointly submit to Congress a plan to carry 
out subsection (a), including recommendations for any legislative 
actions the Secretary and the Director determine necessary to carry out 
such subsection.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``Congressional staff'' means the employees 
        described in section 2107(1) of title 5, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``Member of Congress'' means a Member of the 
        Senate or the House of Representatives, a Delegate to the House 
        of Representatives, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto 
        Rico.
            (3) The term ``non-Department facility'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 1701 of title 38, United States 
        Code.
                                 <all>

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D-North Carolina · District 12

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Lead by Example Act of 2025

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Lead by Example Act of 2025

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