On the recordFebruary 2, 2011
One of the things that was said in the campaign to pass the health care bill was that those who liked their current health care would be able to keep it. But as we know now and as we pointed out prior to the bill's passage, provisions in the law would cause many Americans and will cause many Americans to lose their coverage. That is why the administration is now giving out waivers for some of the bill's most burdensome provisions. So far, the administration has granted 729 waivers. All of these are temporary. They protect companies and labor unions from one of the bill's most onerous mandates--the phasing out of annual caps on costs paid by insurers. According to the administration, waivers may be granted if the applicant can show that a 'large increase in premiums' or a 'significant decrease in access to coverage' would occur absent a waiver. So far, the waivers cover 2,283,106 people.
