Good Article....
On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 2:24 PM, dick <[email protected]> wrote: > > - REVIEW & > OUTLOOK<http://online.wsj.com/public/search?article-doc-type=%7BReview+%26+Outlook+%28U.S.%29%7D&HEADER_TEXT=review+%26+outlook+%28u.s.> > - OCTOBER 20, 2010 > > ObamaCare, for Some Step right up and get your waiver. > > - > Article<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#articleTabs=article> > - Comments > (74)<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#articleTabs_comments> > > more in > Opinion<http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-opinion-commentary.html>» > > - > Email<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > Print<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > > Save > This<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > ↓ > > More<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > - > - > > Twitter > [image: > Twitter]<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > > Digg > [image: > Digg]<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - + > More<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h> > > close<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#dummy> > - Yahoo! > Buzz<http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=wsj&targetUrl=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=wsj_share_ybuzz> > - > MySpace<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > del.icio.us<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > Reddit<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > Facebook<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > LinkedIn<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > Fark<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > Viadeo<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > Orkut<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - [image: > larger]<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > > Text<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > [image: > > smaller]<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > > Well, well. In the clearest evidence so far that ObamaCare is harmful in > practice and an election-year liability, the Obama Administration has > decided not to enforce some of the law's "consumer protections." At least > when the results are politically embarrassing. > > Over the last several weeks the Health and Human Services Department has > granted dozens of temporary waivers to certain ObamaCare mandates so that > insurers and businesses won't drop or cancel coverage. The most conspicuous > went to McDonald's to protect the "mini-med" plans for some 30,000 hourly > workers from a rule that prohibits annual restrictions on benefits. Mini-med > policies offer modest coverage at low premiums and other low-wage fast-food > chains like Jack in the Box and Denny's have been granted waivers as well. > > Cigna, Aetna and a few other insurers have been given hall passes to > continue selling mini-meds. Another went to the United Federation of > Teachers Welfare Fund. The New York union offers city teachers supplemental > drug coverage that would have been banned under the new rules. > > At least this sudden regulatory flexibility is protecting the coverage that > people have today, as President Obama promised. But it isn't much of an > improvement if HHS retreats only after a national political blow-up. After > all, the essential point of the regulations was to destroy mini-med plans > and other types of coverage that Democrats claim are insufficiently > generous. Democrats from Mr. Obama on down call these rules "the patients' > bill of rights," but people don't regularly need exemptions from a bill of > rights. > > And is it really better that HHS will impose destructive regulations and > then decide on ad hoc basis who they'll hit? This is an invitation to play > favorites, exact political retribution and pursue whatever arbitrary goals > HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and her successors happen to hold. ObamaCare > amnesty shouldn't go merely to the CEOs who can get White House aide Valerie > Jarrett on the horn. > > Recall, too, that the original McDonald's memo the Journal exposed was > actually warning about the future damage that will be caused by the > forthcoming definition of the "medical loss ratio," that is, what insurers > are allowed to count as spending on health-care services. HHS said in a > statement that Ms. Sebelius has the power to waive those rules too when they > come out and "we fully intend to exercise her discretion under the new law > to address the special circumstances of mini-med plans in the medical loss > ratio calculations." > > In other words, HHS is pre-emptively declaring that it will grant a special > dispensation to rules that haven't even been finalized. Wouldn't it be > better to write less destructive rules in the first place? Or why not give > everyone a waiver from everything? > > The reality is that ObamaCare assigns HHS vast, undefined new powers that > will mean whatever Ms. Sebelius and her team decides they will mean. The > bill uses the phrase "the Secretary shall" or one of its variants more than > a thousand times. Earlier this year, the Congressional Research Service > found that ObamaCare created a "currently unknowable" number of new boards, > commissions and offices, adding that "it is currently impossible to know how > much influence they will ultimately have." > > HHS is also not building this bureaucratic apparatus in a transparent way. > Ten of the 12 new regulations that HHS has issued in the last six months > have been "interim final rules" that are not open to the ordinary process of > public comment. > > The White House had to play favorites with Senators and special interests > to pass ObamaCare, and its implementation is no less ugly. But the waiver > wave is most telling for what it says about the architects of this plan. By > bending their own rules, they're conceding their destructiveness. > Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A20 > > Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved > > This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and > use of this material are governed by our Subscriber > Agreement<http://online.wsj.com/public/page/subscriber_agreement.html>and by > copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, > please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit > > www.djreprints.com > More In > Opinion<http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-opinion-commentary.html> > > - > Email<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - Printer > Friendly<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - Order > Reprints<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575546052343243306.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#> > - > > - > > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at > http://www.PoliticalForum.com/<http://www.politicalforum.com/> > * It's active and moderated. 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