Report: Health law regs were delayed ahead of Obama's reelection

These rules, along with others related to the environment and worker safety, were delayed to avoid introducing contentious issues into the 2012 campaign, The Washington Post reports.

The Washington Post: White House Delayed Enacting Rules Ahead Of 2012 Election To Avoid Controversy
The White House systematically delayed enacting a series of rules on the environment, worker safety and health care to prevent them from becoming points of contention before the 2012 election, according to documents and interviews with current and former administration officials. ... The stalled regulations included crucial elements of the Affordable Care Act, what bodies of water deserved federal protection, pollution controls for industrial boilers and limits on dangerous silica exposure in the workplace (Eilperin, 12/14).

CBS News: Report: W.H. Delayed Obamacare, EPA Rules Till After 2012 Election
In an effort to ease President Obama's reelection bid, the White House delayed the imposition of a series of regulations affecting Obamacare and environmental protection ahead of the 2012 election, according to a new report in the Washington Post. While the administration has said its approach to regulatory review is consistent with that of previous administrations, several former administration officials told the Post that the delays were longer under Mr. Obama than his predecessors, and that the motive behind them was clearly political. The regulations in question governed some of the most politically sensitive aspects of the president's agenda (Miller, 12/15).

Also in the news, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius declined to tell lawmakers whether she offered her resignation over the troubled launch of healthcare.gov -

CBS News: Sebelius Dodges Question About Whether She Offered Resignation
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Friday refused to say whether she's offered to resign in the wake of botched rollout of the new Obamacare marketplaces. "I'm not going to discuss what I talk about with the president," Sebelius said from Miami, where she was promoting the new marketplaces. Earlier this week at a congressional hearing, Sebelius acknowledged to lawmakers that the launch of HealthCare.gov, the Obamacare website, was "flawed and failed and frustrating." She has accepted responsibility for the failed launch, but the White House maintains that President Obama still has confidence in her (Condon, 12/13).