Rule makers in health reform hot seat; Number of administration waivers from key aspect of law climbing

As rulemaking continues to be the new focus in the health law debate, media outlets report on the Obama administration use of waivers regarding a key aspect of the new law.

The New York Times: Washington Rule Makers Out Of The Shadows
Federal rule makers, long the neglected stepchildren of Washington bureaucrats, suddenly find themselves at the center of power as they scramble to work out details of hundreds of sweeping financial and health care regulations that will ultimately affect most Americans (Lichtblau and Pear, 12/8). 

Fox News: More Big Companies, Unions Win Health Care Waivers
The Obama administration has allowed 222 employers, insurers and unions to opt out of a key mandate in the new health care law - a number that has grown exponentially in the past two months. Employers like McDonald's, Waffle House and Universal Orlando are among the companies that have received a one-year waiver, allowing them to maintain minimal coverage below the new law's standards (12/8).

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: More Health Waivers
The Obama Administration has quietly granted even more waivers to one provision of the new federal health reform law, doubling the number in just the last three weeks to a new total of 222 (Dupree, 12/7).

The Boston Globe: Health Law Fix To Save Children's From Added Costs
The Senate voted last night to fix an error in the federal health care law that could cost Children's Hospital Boston and others like it millions of dollars in added drug costs to treat children with rare diseases. The change was included in a broader bill that would extend through next year a Medicare physician payment formula (Viser, 12/9).