Waivers for Favors: Big Labor’s Obamacare escape hatch
My syndicated column today takes another thwack at Obamacare waiver-mania, with more analysis of the 182 union beneficiaries who’ve obtained safe harbor from the costly mandate pushed by their Big Labor bosses.
Related: Unions make up 40 percent of employees exempted from Obamacare
***
Waivers for Favors: Big Labor’s Obamacare escape hatch
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2011
President Obama’s story-tellers recently launched a White House blog series called “Voices of Health Reform,” where “readers can meet average Americans already benefiting from the health reform law.” I propose a new White House series: “Voices of Health Reform Waivers,” where taxpayers can meet all the politically-connected unions benefiting from exclusive get-out-of-Obamacare passes — after squandering millions of their workers’ dues to lobby for the
job-killing, private insurance-sabotaging law from which they are now exempt.
At the end of last year, the Department of Health and Human Services had granted some 222 temporary waivers to businesses small and large, insurers, labor, and other organizations that offer affordable health insurance or prescription drug coverage with limited benefits. On Wednesday, the agency quietly updated its online list, which now reveals a whopping total of 729 Obamacare escapees – in addition to four states Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, and Tennessee – who collectively cover 2.1 million enrollees.
At least one eyebrow-raising waiver recipient – the left-leaning, nationalized health care-promoting Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – has direct ties to the White House. Obama health care czar Nancy DeParle sits on the foundation’s board of trustees.
Most noteworthy: One-fourth of all the waivers (182) have gone to Big Labor groups across the country so far.
The Teamsters Union, which hailed Obama last March for “enacting historic health care reform, providing health insurance to millions of Americans who don’t have it and controlling costs for millions more who do,” obtained waivers for 17 different locals.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which celebrated the passage of Obamacare as “an achievement that will
rank among the highest in our national experience,” secured waivers for 28 different affiliates.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — which exulted after the health care law’s passage that “finally, affordable and comprehensive health care coverage will be available for millions of working Americans” — saw 8 of its affiliates win shelter from the Obamacare wrecking ball.
The Communications Workers of America, which sent its workers to lobby for Obamacare on Capitol Hill as part of the left-wing billionaire George Soros-funded Health Care for America Now front group, snagged a waiver that will spare a hefty 19,000 of its members from the onerous federal mandate.
And the Service Employees International Union, which poured $60 million into Democrat/Obama coffers in 2008 and millions more into the Astroturf campaign for the federal health care takeover, added four new affiliates to the waiver list:
- SEIU Local 2000 Health and Welfare Fund, representing 161 enrollees
- SEIU 32BJ North Health Benefit Fund, representing 7,020 enrollees
- SEIU Local 300, Civil Service Forum Employees Welfare Fund, representing 2,000 enrollees
- SEIU Health & Welfare Fund representing 1,620
That’s in addition to three other previous SEIU waiver winners: Local 25 SEIU in Chicago with 31,000 enrollees; Local 1199 SEIU Greater New York Benefit Fund with 4,544 enrollees; and SEIU Local 1 Cleveland Welfare Fund with 520 enrollees — which brings the total number of Obamacare-promoting SEIU Obamacare refugees to an estimated 45,000 workers represented by seven SEIU locals.
Without the HHS-approved exemptions, these health providers would have been forced to drop low-cost coverage for seasonal, part-time, and low-wage workers due to skyrocketing premiums. The only way they are keeping their health care is by successfully begging the feds to spare them from Obamacare. The Democrats’ law seeks to eliminate the low-cost plans (known as “mini-med” plans) under the guise of controlling insurer spending on executive salaries and marketing. The ultimate goal, as I’ve reported before: forcing a massive shift from private to public insurance designed by government-knows-best
bureaucrats.
House and Senate Republicans plan separate investigations of the Obamacare waiver process. Who got when and why? Who knew whom? Who didn’t? HHS acknowledged Thursday that some 50 sanctuary seekers had their waiver applications denied, but would not say more. Perhaps the White House story-tellers, so eager to profile the “Voices of Health Reform,” can enlighten us.
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“Some animals are more equal than others”
So the peole most responsible for shoving Obamacare down our throats are now exempt from it?
The rule of law died when we ignored Article II Sec. 1 and swore in an ineligible man to be President.
“Thwack”? Have you been watching the original Batman recently?
Biff!
Bam!
Boom!
POW!
Thwack!
Ah, the days of campy TV…
So, the unions wanted socialized medicine but now get exemptions from it. Nice!
I sure hope the lawyers arguing to find Obamacare unconstitutional use all these waivers as some of their ammunition. What’s the sense in having a law if you’re going to pass out exemptions like dollar off coupons? And if Obama doesn’t grant waivers, what happens when he’s no longer the president? What if the next president grants waivers to those that Obama refused? It could go on forever!
Repeal this turd now. Or at least, don’t fund it.
Michelle, you’re amazing. I’ll come back to this after another cup of coffee…
At least now we can all agree. Now everybody wants CHANGE!
Which is another way, I suppose, of accomplishing single-payer by forcing insurance companies to swallow a poison pill: Create a system that explodes costs, thereby giving health insurers a simple choice – accept a government takeover, or get out of the health insurance business.
One single-payer is realized, then all of these waivers will be revoked. You don’t need radar to see this coming from over the horizon.
Obowmao: “We shall never waiver in our..er..um.. resolute..er..um..(Whispers to TOTUS) (Throw me a bone here, I’m dying!)
Maybe the Senate can start with a law to prevent these waivers – maybe rescind the Sec of HHS from granting waivers. That might get momentum behind full repeal.
Great idea. The next president can just grant a blanket waiver to all American citizens, and Obamacare is dead without all the hassle of trying to pass legislation!
The GOP needs to recruit some of these plan administrators to do some TV spots… to be aired next year in every state a Dem Senator is seeking re-election.
Repeal the bill already and be done with this charade!
Different day
Same nonsense
Special Privilege for Special People
So the unions want Government run healthcare so they can get contracted to run it, but they do not want to participate in it. Talk about your irony.
This IS why we have an equal protection clause, and the waivers are CLEARLY illegal. Personally I think they are grounds for impeachment.
?
That sounds like the question that the investigation should be asking…Why did you donate so much time and money into campaigning for Obamacare when you now have asked for and been grnated a waiver?
Now Obama is going out and calling the Medicare administrator who told Congress that health care costs are going up not down a liar.
Okay. Try this scenario. Obama grants waivers to his cronies. Next prez revokes those waivers and grants them to HIS cronies. Prez after that, revokes them all and grants waivers to HIS cronies.
It’s never-ending socialism. We always ask why don’t the politicians see this; it’s right in their face. Trust me, they see it just fine. Obamacare will give them the power they crave — to run people’s lives.
Repeal or defund it. Do whatever it takes to kill this useless monstrosity.
Repealing the illegitimate President pushing all this would be easier.
That phrase speaks volumes. Propaganda and stolen money, the mother’s milk of communism.
Funny, these guys are propping up NPR also. What a co-inky-dink.
I must admit I am intrigued with the latest development. My previous offer stands – If the birther issue gets traction, I will buy all here whom I have challenged a steak dinner and the few remaining Cuban cigars I picked up in Hong Kong. As I’ve always said, I agree the whole thing stinks, and I hope you’re right, but there has been no compelling or conclusive smoking gun that would force Congress or SCOTUS to act. This one could ring the bell though, and could force the issue to produce the original.
So what’s up now with Evans reversing himself, and saying Abercrombie never said what he said he said? Threats? Payoff? He didn’t “misspeak” – he said it clearly and repeatedly.
I honestly do hope you guys are right. I would be delighted to eat every word and pay up.
The mere fact that Obama Sr. was never an American citizen, and, therefore, Jr. was a Brit at birth should have been enough. Arizona being a ‘territory’ rather than a state when Goldwater was born,
and McCain being born in Panama
were both enough for the Senate to have to pass a resolution declaring them Natural Born Citizens.
Why no debate or resolution for Barack?
Granting waivers are weakening the argument that this bill was such a terrific thing. No waiver should have been necessary. Seems “marketing” on the merits of bhocare isn’t selling well with any group when the truth is exposed.
Think about it. We know more about the lives of our first 10 presidents than we know obout BHO in the last 2 years.
It’s looking more and more like this guy is really not eligible to be President. Did you see the latest Hawaii fiascos this week?
*** BINGO ***
That’s the elephant in the room. He is likely not eligible. The longer we wait the more embarrassing it will be for Congress to look into it. But it must be done. The legal and Constitutional requirements are there. This will come to a head.
Swede, you are a sucker. Those “Cubans” came from Honduras. And they are probably dry as straw.
The issue better get traction. There appears to be no legit document anywhere. A CLB using modern field terms for race? No long form anywhere? No microfiche? Not looking good. I hope your Cubans are real though even if you win on the offer.
If counterfit, methinks more likely Dominican, but my friend who’s a certified obsessive compulsive cigar freak says they’re the real deal. Habanos S.A. hand rolled. But before you get out your clip and lighter, we need to get this thing done.
Should be, but isn’t. I personally agree the definition of natural born citizen intended by the framers was De Vattel’s – both parents citizens – but proving that intent is not a slam dunk by any means. My son’s an attorney and makes a good case for interpreting the intent as either parent – though he also agrees with the Vattel view.
Next time, just for you, I’ll add a /sarc tag.
The Senate Resolution for McCain specifically notes McCains parents both being U.S. citizens. Obama voted for it. He knows he’s not eligible. He also knew no one would call him on it.
Republicans need to get their act together and repeal this crap.
In the mean time, everyone should be writing their worthless Congress demanding to know why union thugs are being treated differently than the rest of is schmucks.
We also should be looking at some Cloward-Piven or Alinksy tactics, demand our own individual ability to apply for a waiver, and demand a streamlined process to do it.
I know the left would rather use the Constitution as toilet paper, but the right should be demanding to know what happened to the Equal Protection clause, and why our supposed Representatives are not asking the same questions.
Are bones allowed on Meanchelle’s menu?
Where are our new conservative leaders in Congress on this waiver issue? This should be one of their front-and-center issues to harp on to the American people. Most people will never know about the waivers otherwise.
No waivers for anybody. They are illegal, plain and simple. All in or all out. Feel like we are living in the dm twilight zone. Where the hell are republicans on this issue?????
Didn’t Obama cover this in his “State of the Unions” as how all unions will get an Obamacare exemption…?
No? Hmmm… The TOTUS must have pulled a fast one on the POTUS by hiding that line…