Iowa’s insurance division submitted an Obamacare waiver to the Trump administration Tuesday to try to stabilize its exchange and avoid causing more than 20,000 Iowans to become uninsured, but the path to approval is uncertain.

Still, its backers hope approval will come quickly and take less than the 180 days the federal government typically requires. The waiver specifically asks the Trump administration for “emergency relief from strict compliance.” The state is running out of time because it must sign insurance contracts by Sept. 27.

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