Over the past two months, we’ve been tracking the burgeoning list of unions, companies, and insurers who have used an HHS escape hatch to avoid the costly, destructive consequences of Obamacare for their members and employees (see here, here, here, and here). The list keeps growing. Jamie Dupree has the latest update on what I’ve been calling Waiver-mania! More unions and companies that employ low-wage workers have gotten their pass now. The official Obamacare refugee list (here) is now at 222.

Interestingly, Dupree encountered the same reluctance to speak openly about the waiver process that I experienced when I dialed up dozens of waiver winners.

Details:

The Obama Administration has quietly granted even more waivers to the new federal health reform law, doubling the number in just the last three weeks to a new total of 222. One of the more recognizable business names included on the newly-expanded list of waivers issued by the feds is that of Waffle House, which received a waiver on November 23 for health coverage that covers 3,947 enrollees. Another familiar name was that of Universal Orlando, which runs a variety of very popular resorts in the Orlando, Florida area. Universal was given a waiver for plans that cover 668 workers… …And there are more unions who have received waivers in this latest batch, like the Bricklayers Local 1 of MD, VA and DC, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, the Indiana Teamsters Health Benefits Fund, Service Employees International Union Local 1 Cleveland Welfare Fund, and more are listed. The waivers are also going to a number of average sounding companies like Telesis Management Corporation, Trans-System Inc., Varsity Contractors Inc. and Moore’s Retread & Tire of the Ark-La-Tex, Inc.

And the question remains: Dude, where’s our waivers?

***

Related excellent read ICYMI from the inestimable Richard Epstein on Government by Waiver and the breakdown of public administration.