Obama sabotaging his own health law

Opponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are many and varied. They include both small and large corporations, members and committees of Congress, approximately 30 states, professional organizations and lobbies, and others practically too numerous to categorize. Some have had some success. Some have only succeeded at blowing off steam.

One person has single-handedly done more to stall and reverse the implementation of the new health care law than anyone else. His name is President Barack Obama. Along with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the president has granted waivers, exceptions and exemptions to approximately 900 health plans, 700 corporations and four states. Unions that supported the law include about 40 percent of the workers that have been exempted. Many more waivers are expected.

As explained by the director of the federal Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, in order to qualify for a waiver, states, employers and insurers must show that compliance with the law would cause a significant increase in premiums or a decrease in access to benefits. By these exemptions, Obama is publicly acknowledging that his health care overhaul will increase costs and reduce access to benefits.

Of course he will not admit that he is doing this, and neither will his sycophantic cheerleaders in the media. David McNeil

Barrington