Congress gets 24/7 health care for $503....a year

Yeah, sure, they want to open this up to the whole country. Yeah? How does that make sense? Add 30 million people to the ranks and you're going to CUT the deficit? How ridiculous.

One aspect of the office's operations which remains unclear is just how the annual $503 fee is determined.

Until 1992, OAP services were free to members of Congress. But after former Sen. Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania angered members by introducing a bill to make Congress members pay market rate prices for using the OAP, a compromise was reached.

Instead of charging for each service, Wofford said, members of the House and Senate agreed to hire independent consultants to determine the average value of the services offered and to use that amount to determine an annual fee.