The Health Curve

The Health Curve is a blog I created to keep track of news in health economics and policy. Here's how it works: I bring the articles and sprinkle in my opinions. You bring your interested mind and thought provoking comments. Enjoy.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Waivers and Weakness

An earlier post detailed the recent step backwards President Obama took by allowing states to apply for waivers to the Affordable Care Act. These waivers would allow states to drop the mandate for individual  health insurance as long as an effective, affordable alternative was reached.

Since the last post, there have been a number of reactions to President Obama's decision. A recent NY Times Article shows that along with Maine, five other states have applied for these waivers including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada and New Hampshire.

Instead of praising President Obama for his decision, many Republicans are labeling it as a sign of weakness in the law. They argue that if the law was a good law, it would need no waivers. Many see the law as pointless if there will be so many waivers allowed.

Is providing waivers an admission that health care reform is weak? Is this proof that the Affordable Care Act is not perfect?

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