200 More Obamacare Waivers Granted

204 more waivers of Obamacare’s onerous mandates have been issued over the past month, bringing the total to at least 1,372. As I explain in the Washington Examiner, the waivers are going to the biggest supporters of Obamacare, and allies of the Obama administration. Meanwhile, other, less politically-connected applicants have had their requests for waivers rejected. AARP, whose support for Obamacare mystified many seniors, has now received lucrative exemptions worth millions that put it at a competitive advantage over its rivals in the health insurance market.

Columbia University law professor Philip Hamburger argues that the arbitrary waiver process makes Obamacare unconstitutional (see his National Review columns on the subject here, here, and here). Moreover, the unpredictable and standardless nature of the waivers are one way in which Obamacare violates the clear-statement rule contained in the Supreme Court’s Spending-Clause decisions, argue the leaders of the Minnesota and North Carolina legislatures. Obamacare also contains racial discrimination and race-based preferences that were criticized by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Thanks to Obamacare, 22,000 seniors lost their high-quality healthcare plan in New England. AT&T, Caterpillar, John Deere, and Verizon reported massive cost increases, while insurance premiums rose massively in some states. The new healthcare law also harms medical innovation.