Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised voters that he would push for a public health care option with benefits similar to those offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). If members of Congress have access to quality insurance coverage, the argument went, so should all Americans.

Rep. Don Manzullo disagrees. During a radio interview on Rockford's WNTA this morning, the Republican bemoaned his federal insurance plan, saying he "would not wish" it on anyone. Listen here:

Internal mp3

MANZULLO: The government health care plan is less than what the IBEW guys get and less than what most private insurance plans are. What it is is that the government comes up with this plan for federal employees and I pay a little over $400 a month in premium on my plan that has no dental coverage, that has very little optical coverage, it has no orthodonture coverage. And my wife became ill three years ago, the amount of money we had to pay in co-pays -- and I would have sold my house and everything I had to help her out, obviously -- but it is not a premium policy. I would not wish the government health plan on anybody.

Conveniently, McClatchy published an informative article yesterday explaining exactly the type of benefits Manzullo and his colleagues have under the Blue Cross/Blue Shield-administered FEHBP. Their conclusion? The president and lawmakers in Washington get "a pretty sweet deal, better than most."

Because of its size, the program offers federal workers dozens of health plans to choose from, instead of the two or three that corporations and businesses typically offer their workers. [...]

"The federal employee plan is more generous than coverage most people have in the private sector," said Mark McClellan, a health care analyst at the Brookings Institution and a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner under President George W. Bush.

"It's probably similar to coverage that people in large established corporations get, and better than what you get if you're in a small business. It's not the creme de la creme, but it's better than what most Americans are getting."

Aside from above average care and cost, lawmakers can pay an additional $503 per year to receive services at the Office of the Attending Physician, a $2.5 million medical office located on Capitol Hill that includes "acute medical care, health assessments, X-ray, lab, and diagnostic services" specifically reserved for legislators. If that doesn't suit their fancy, they can stroll over to any of the surrounding military hospitals, where lawmakers can see a doctor without even scheduling an appointment.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut) summed up all of the specifics during a health care hearing yesterday and aptly denounced the hypocrisy of Republicans fearmongering about the creation of a government-run "public" plan while enjoying the benefits of one themselves. Watch it (H/T Greg Sargent) :