Story highlights Most congressional members and staffers get their insurance through DC Health Link

Some members opted instead to purchase plans through their home states

(CNN) Sen. John McCain, in the midst of a heated health care debate, had to undergo a serious medical procedure of his own last week to remove a blood clot above his left eye.

As the Senate debates the future of health care, it begs the question: How do members of Congress currently get coverage?

McCain's office did not respond to CNN requests on how the former Republican presidential nominee, 80, gets his insurance, but according to a 2017 report by the Congressional Research Service, there are a number of options for lawmakers -- not to mention the fact that McCain was a decorated war hero and eligible for VA benefits

The vast majority of congressional members and staffers get their insurance through the Washington, DC, exchange, known as DC Health Link. The exchange has a reputation for working well, in part because of its small, more manageable size, according to Alice Rivlin, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution's Center for Health Policy.

"They weren't dealing with as many people as a very large state," she said.

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