Health care waivers are being granted to 94 percent of employers and labor unions who say they cannot yet afford the $750,000 per person stipulated by the new health care law, according to the New York Times.
In an effort by the federal government to help them deal with "exceptional circumstances," various entities, from Aetna to the Teamsters, have been awarded such exemptions. The Obama Administration says they are intended to prevent employers from being forced to raise premiums. According to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, many would have had to drop coverage entirely were it not for the waivers.
As many politicians begin eying the 2012 elections, operatives on both sides of the aisle have sought to portray the wavers' proliferation as proof of their respective contentions regarding the law.
Senator Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming asked, If the law is so good, why are so many waivers needed? Other Republicans have also criticized the exemptions, though the Obama administration contends they are proof of the pragmatic and flexible nature of the legislation, which was signed into law last year.
Some conservatives say the waivers favor the administration's political allies. Edmund F. Haislmaier of the Heritage Foundation told the Times that they result in unequal application of the law and create a temptation to engage in political favoritism.
