The White House is taking away one of Republicans’ favorite lines of attack and ending its health-care waiver program. The waivers, which allowed insurance plans to opt of a part of the Democrats’ health-care reform law, were criticized as favoritism and proof that the law wasn’t effective, though an independent review cleared the Obama team of those charges. All applications for waivers, the White House said Friday, must be received by September. Once the law takes full effect in 2014, they’ll no longer be necessary.
