Do people 'deserve' universal health care?

[steelish]

Not quite accurate. The plans are the same available to the rest of the country. Federal employees have to purchase their health care like anyone else. Some have already been paying taxes on their health plans.
Choosing a health plan in Federal service is a real chore. Even just the list of available plans can run several pages in a booklet that is full size (8.5 x 11). If you want to check out the specifics of a particular plan you must ask for a copy of that booklet from HR.

Congress on the other hand is a different animal!

Interesting. In the USPS, health care is a benefit for which employees are deducted a very insignificant amount in each biweekly paycheck (for individual coverage - family coverage is slightly higher, of course, just as it is with any employer-sponsored health care plan).

I've seen the "offerings" but declined coverage. I am a part-time employee and am not offered it as a benefit. I would have had to pay in full for it and found it was cheaper (and I received a better plan) by going with Humana. For three family members to have HMO coverage I pay just barely over $300.00 monthly. We can visit the doctor as often as needed,. Our copay for dr visits is only $10.00 per visit. Since we've been on that plan I've had two lumps removed from my left breast, skin cancer removed, my husband goes to the chiropractor regularly, and my son has regular visits to get his Adderal prescriptions for ADD. We've not had one single problem with our coverage.

On the other hand, a full-time co-worker of mine had to have knee replacement surgery recently. She's on one of the government run plans. She had to wait a month to receive approval from her insurance company so she could have it done. (She was injured ON THE JOB and THAT is the reason the knee replacement surgery was necessary)

Side note: Under my insurance plan, once the doctor(s) recommended knee replacement surgery all I would have had to do was set a date and show up.