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Obamacare Waivers Shouldn't Be Just for the Rich and Politically Connected

Washington, DC, May 17, 2011 | comments

The growing number of waivers being doled out to those the White House deems deserving is enough to make the case that Obamacare punishes business and kills jobs. But is not just the number of businesses that have received the waiversthat should draw the public ire; there is even moreto be learned from what type of businesses receive them and where they are located. 

This week it was reported by The Daily Caller that 20% of the latest batch of waivers went to recipients in one congressional district – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s California district.  That is 1 out of every 5 waivers nationwide went to one Member of Congress who is 1 member out of a 435 member body.  Since Nancy Pelosi’s district has such a disproportionate need to be exempt from the health care law she so vigorously fought to pass, let’s take a closer look at those businesses.

According to a recent report, ofthe 204 new Obamacare waivers approved in April, “38 are for fancy eateries, hip nightclubs and decadent hotels” in Pelosi’s district.  Some examples include Boboquivari’s,  a restaurant that charges $59 for a porterhouse steak; Café Mason which offers $60 entrees; four-star hotels such as Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Campton Place, which charges an average of $464 per night for a room; as well as Tru Spa, which Allure Magazine rated the “best day spa in San Francisco.”

If businesses such as these cannot afford to comply with Obamacare mandates for their employees, why should the other businesses across the country be expected to afford them?

The waivers have not only selectively benefitted some very exclusive businesses that cater to the rich -- labor unions have received 26 percent of the waivers, even though they comprise only about 12 percent of the national workforce.

Obamacare is not just bad law, as many of us warned before it was rushed through Congress without even allowing for time to read it -- it is Washington politics at its worst.  It was passed against the will of the people, in a time when our economy could least afford it, and now is being exempted for those with the resources and/or political connections to successfully maneuver the waiver process.  It is past time for this law to be repealed – not just for businesses frequented by the rich, but for everyone.