The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released several draft payment rules for 2012. Within the regulations, there is yet another exemption for certain physician-owned hospitals. Obamacare will prevent most physician-owned hospitals from expanding and prohibits the construction of new facilities. However, the regulations allow a facility to seek an exemption to the expansion ban. ANOTHER WAIVER!
Let’s highlight the other waivers while we’re at it:
Unions
So far, almost half of all Obamacare waivers come from some of Obama’s biggest base supporters – unions with waivers representing over 3 million individuals in their health plans. These waivers allow them to avoid the annual and lifetime limits placed on other non-union plans. In a recent Teamsters rally, Vice President Biden made it clear that when it comes to waivers: “Any of you guys vote Republican…don’t come to me if you do. You’re on your own.” Sorry, small NC business, don’t expect an exemption waiver any time soon.
AARP
One of the largest senior membership programs in the nation, AARP was exempted from several of Obamacare original mandates; even though AARP claims it never wanted to receive any exemptions.
Nursing Homes
The nursing home industry has supported Obamacare in the past but as reported recently in the New York Times, the Administration is working to “figure out if there is some accommodation that can be made” when it comes to exempting nursing homes from the employer mandate. Smells like another waiver coming down the pipe to me.
States
A whooping 12 states have applied for waivers from the medical loss ratio provision (80% of premiums must go to medical care). Three states have been granted this waiver and nine states are pending. States are requesting these waivers because they claim insurance companies will leave the marketplace under such oppressive requirements.
So again, we must ask the question. If Obamacare is such a great way to solve our flawed healthcare system, then why are we seeing new waiver after new waiver appear? Could it be that businesses and organizations realize that without these waivers, they cannot continue to exist under the oppressive new regulations? Individuals, especially those loyal to the Left, are asking for them and the Administration is granting them. Sounds like an unfair and raw deal for America.
Leave a Comment