Healthcare reform waivers part of ‘crony politics,’ Pawlenty says

Likely GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty on Tuesday added to already widespread criticism of healthcare reform law waivers, calling the practice an example of “crony politics.”

Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, said the fact that companies are seeking — and getting — exemptions from key parts of President Obama’s healthcare law is a sign it’s broken.

{mosads}”Another example of really crony politics or crony capitalism, if you’ve got
the right connections, the right lobbyists, the right interest group,
you get your special deal, and the rest of us get our wallet out, and
that’s in the tax code, it’s in earmarking, and now you see it in
ObamaCare,” he said on Fox News.

Railing against waivers appears to be the latest line of attack from GOP presidential contenders against the healthcare reform law.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Tuesday reacted to a report that many businesses received waivers in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) district, saying it was “Unflippingbelievable! No, wait, it is believable …. Seriously, this is corrupt.”

But according to the company that managed the waiver applications, which is owned by a Republican, Pelosi had no influence over the waiver process. 

That did not stop GOP criticism of the practice. 

“I don’t blame people for trying to get out from
underneath it — that it is an awful law,” Pawlenty said. “But when you have that many
needs for exemptions, it tells you that the law — it is a warning sign
that the law is broken and doesn’t work.”