Oh, this is rich: AARP, one of the most ardent backers of Obamacare, has been granted a waiver.


The Daily Caller reported:



The Daily Caller has learned that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rate review rules, which it finalized on Thursday, exempt “Medigap” policy providers, like the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), from oversight when such providers increase payment rates for their supplemental insurance plans.



Insurance providers who aren’t exempt from Obamacare’s rate review rules are required to publicly release and explain some health care payment rate increases.



The AARP is the nation’s biggest seller of Medigap policies, or supplemental healthcare plans that add onto what Medicare won’t cover for seniors. The senior citizens interest group advocated for Obamacare to include an attack on Medigap policies’ biggest competitor, Medicare Advantage.


“But maybe, just maybe, we could all agree that organizations that publicly pushed ObamaCare to approval should be ineligible to escape its consequences?” says HotAir.


Yeah, it’s pretty disgusting. If you want insights into why things like this happen, I want to recommend (again) Washington Examiner reporter David Freddoso’s eye-opening Gangster Government. The title comes from Michael Barone’s column on the auto bailout, when creditors were stiffed in favor of transferring money to unions. This is an administration that looks out for friends. But it is shocking that those friends lobbied for something that will affect the rest of us and then squeezed out of the rules.