One of Governor Romney's signature achievements while office was the implementation of MassCare, or RomneyCare. This Massachusetts state legislation produced a mandate that required all people to purchase health insurance or pay a fine to the state. Those who earned below a set level were given money from the state to purchase private insurance. No government insurance plan was created, but private companies could not reject someone on the basis of a pre-existing condition or illness. The legislation also established a web system that rated each hospital and listed the cost of each procedure.
Governor Romney continues to aggressively support mandating that all people purchase insurance as a solution. He refers to those who do not purchase insurance as "free-riders" who drive up insurance costs for everyone else. He does not assign this title to those who make below a given income. He notes that the subsidies provide to lower income people coupled with the mandate has resulted in coverage for all Massachusetts citizens with only a marginal increase in costs.
In 2007, Governor Romney was interviewed by the Des Moines register where he reasserted his support for mandates, and noted the Massachusetts plan introduced market forces through it's rating system. He stated that the mandates drove down the cost of health care and increased choice for consumers. He asserted that the subsidies program was cheaper in the long run than picking up the costs for those with no coverage. Governor Romney also noted that states are meant to be laboratories for legislative experiments and that his MassCare plan was exactly that.
When Governor Romney began campaigning for the Presidency in 2011, the primary focus of his health care plan was repealing Obamacare. In articles and seminars on health care he stated that if elected, his first order of business would be issuing a waiver to all 50 states on Obamacare and then working with Congress to repeal it.
In stating what he would do for health care if elected, Governor Romney noted a 5 point plan. The first of these would be returning control of health care plans to the states. To do this, he would block-grant funds for Medicaid and the uninsured, and offer the states resources to help the chronically ill. Second, he would alter the tax code to give the same benefits that large corporations get for providing coverage to individual and small companies. Third, he proposes lowering government regulation by allowing people to purchase health insurance across state lines, lessening state regulations on insurance packages, and allowing small companies to pool into groups to lower cost. This would be coupled with a requirement that insurance companies provide coverage for people with pre-existing conditions if those people have consistently maintained coverage. Fourth, the medical liability system should be reformed to prevent abuse. Finally, Governor Romney states that health care should be made more like a consumer market and less like a government program. This is done, in part, by eliminating the minimum deductible requirement.
The most common strike against Governor Romney is that the plan he implemented in Massachusetts was the one used to build Obamacare, and that this negates his ability to campaign effectively against the plan. In seminars, interviews, and articles, Governor Romney has attempted to counter this accusation by stating that there are numerous differences between the two plans. First, Governor Romney asserts that states are meant to be laboratories for legislation such as MassCare, and the federal government is not. Second, he states that Obamacare takes over health care and forces everyone onto government sanctioned plans while MassCare allows people to select from private plans. Third, Obamacare does a lot beyond health care and the proof of this is that MassCare was 70 pages, while Obamacare was 2700 pages. Finally, he states that Obamacare raises taxes, changes medicare, and costs a lot while MassCare was relatively inexpensive, did not affect medicare, and did not raise taxes.
Support for Mandates
In a video made by an individual, Governor Romney is shown repeatedly endorsing the individual mandate to force people to purchase insurance.
Raymond, New Hampshire Town hall
In December of 2007, Governor Romney spoke at a town hall in Raymond New Hampshire about his state's laws requiring people to purchase insurance. He refers to those without insurance as "free riders" and states that under the current system, everyone who has insurance must pay for those who don't.
Well, we found a couple of things in our state that made a difference. And I am the only governor in America that found a way to do this. One was that I found out that we had about a half a million people in our state that didn't have insurance. Now, if they get sick, we don't just tell them "oh, too bad, you don't have insurance so just stay home and die." Right? No, that doesn't happen in America, No. You get picked up by an EMS vehicle and you get taken to the hospital. Let's say that someone has had a heart attack ... you take them to the hospital, you put in a stint, you do the surgery ... They're not paying for it because they don't have insurance. The people who are paying for it are you, that do have insurance. Because you're having to have in your insurance premiums, the cost of people that don't have insurance.
And so we said "You know what we're gonna do? We're going to get everybody into the system, everybody's going to be insured. No more free riders." Because you've got a few shadow employees that you don't know about if you will .. some people that you're paying for that aren't even working at your company. And so we wanted to get everybody into the system.
Des Moines Register
In December of 2007, Governor Romney was interviewed by the Des Moines Register and spoke about a system in Massachusetts to show the quality and cost of procedures at various hospitals and allow market dynamics to move the health care system.
Market Dynamics
In the first video, Governor Romney describes the system established in Massachusetts to allow market forces to act on health care. A web page was established to rate hospitals using a star system (0 for poor, 5 for good, etc), and the cost that hospital charged per procedure was shown. People could then choose the hospital of their choice. The governor also states that he believes that every person should have insurance.
Mandates and Competition
When speaking on the Massachusetts health care system, Governor Romney noted that the individual mandate to purchase insurance allowed people to buy cheaper products. He stated that premiums came down when the mandates on insurance companies were reduced. His plan also subsidized the purchase of insurance for those who could not afford it. This means that people making less than a certain amount were given money from the state government for the purposes of buying the mandated insurance. The Governor stated that this saved money.
States as Laboratories
Governor Romney also states that the best way to find new solutions in health care is to allow the states to be laboratories for experiments on coverage. He states that in Massachusetts's case, an individual mandates was used, and he believes that this is the better way to go.
Out with Obamacare
On May 11, 2011 Governor Romney wrote an article that was published in the USA Today. This article stated that if elected, his first move would be to repeal Obamacare. He then outlines the five steps that he would take to address health care.
Romney: As first act, out with ObamaCare By Mitt RomneyPosted 05/11/2011 02:30:30 PM
Health care is more than just one-sixth of the American economy. It is a source of well-being for individuals and families. We are blessed with much that is good in American health care. But we have taken a turn for the worse with ObamaCare, with its high taxes and vastly expanded federal control over our lives. I believe the better course is to empower the states to determine their own health care futures.
First, the good news: Health care in the United States has made remarkable advances in our lifetimes. Dramatic improvements in medical technology have expanded both the length and quality of life. And the U.S. health care system continues to provide consumers with many choices.
But our health care system has several well-known problems: high and rising costs, significant numbers of Americans without insurance, and glaring gaps in quality and efficiency.
We can fix these problems. Unfortunately, with the passage of ObamaCare last year, the president and the Congress took a wrong turn. ObamaCare will lead to more spending, greater federal involvement in health care and negative effects on U.S. economic activity. The president definitely forgot the admonition to "do no harm."
My plan is to harness the power of markets to drive positive change in health insurance and health care. And we can do so with state flexibility (unlike ObamaCare's top-down federal approach), no new taxes (as opposed to hundreds of billions of dollars of new taxes under ObamaCare), and better consumer choice (as opposed to bureaucratic, government choice under ObamaCare). This change of direction offers our best hope of preserving both innovation and value.
If I am elected president, I will issue on my first day in office an executive order paving the way for waivers from ObamaCare for all 50 states. Subsequently, I will call on Congress to fully repeal ObamaCare.
The reforms that I propose, which are based on the same philosophical tenets as the reforms I offered during my last presidential campaign in 2008, return power to the states, improve access by slowing health care cost increases, and make health insurance portable and flexible for today's economy.
Step 1: Give states the responsibility, flexibility and resources to care for citizens who are poor, uninsured or chronically ill. This reform speaks to the central advantage of our federalist system — that different states will experiment with and settle on the solutions that suit their residents best. Some states might pass a plan like the one we did in Massachusetts, while others will choose an altogether different route. We can empower states to expand health care access to low-income Americans by block-granting funds for Medicaid and the uninsured. My reforms also offer the states resources to help the chronically ill — both to improve their access to care and to improve the functioning of insurance markets for others.
Step 2: Reform the tax code to promote the individual ownership of health insurance. The tax code offers open-ended subsidies for the purchase of insurance through employers. This subsidy is unfair — as it doesn't apply to insurance purchased on one's own. I propose to give individuals a choice between the current system and a tax deduction to buy insurance on their own. This simple change creates the best of both worlds. Absolutely nothing will change for those who like their current coverage. And individuals who don't get coverage through their employers will have portable, lower-cost options.
Step 3: Focus federal regulation of health care on making markets work. This means both correcting common failures in insurance markets as well as eliminating counterproductive federal rules. For example, individuals who are continuously covered for a specified period of time may not be denied access to insurance because of pre-existing conditions. And individuals should be allowed to purchase insurance across state lines, free from costly state benefit requirements. Finally, individuals and small businesses should be allowed to form purchasing pools to lower insurance costs and improve choice.
Step 4: Reform medical liability. We should cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice litigation. The federal government would also provide innovation grants to states for reforms, such as alternative dispute resolution or health care courts.
Step 5: Make health care more like a consumer market and less like a government program. This can be done by strengthening health savings accounts that help consumers save for health expenses and choose cost-effective insurance. For example, we should eliminate the minimum deductible requirement for HSAs. The market reforms I am proposing will drive down costs, better inform consumers and improve the quality of health care in our nation.
These five steps are positive change. They will reduce health care costs, improve access and enhance value for the money. My reforms put quality, choiceand innovation — not Washington — in charge.
ObamaCare vs MassCare
On May 12, 2011 Governor Romney held a conference at the University of Michigan to discuss the differences and similarities between his plan in Massachusetts and President Obama's health care plan which was implemented in 2010. He discusses the differences between state and federal governmental powers, and the overall differences in their plans. Some of the differences and similarities he cites are:
The Obama administration distrusts the states and the free enterprise system, but MassCare was a state solution consistent with federalism. Governor Romney states that Obamacare in this aspect was a federal takeover, where Romneycare in Massachusetts was consistent with Federalism.
Obamacare raises taxes and cuts medicare, while MassCare made no changes for seniors and had no tax increase
Governor Romney notes that both plans have a mandate to purchase insurance, but that the Massachusetts program created no new entity and just allowed people to purchase private insurance. He states that the MassCare program had a relatively low program cost, especially compared to Obamacare
Governor Romney also describes in detail what he would do in terms of health care if he were to be elected President. In doing so, Governor Romney states the following:
The US has a high quality health care system with choice for consumers, that attracts the best and brightest people, and is the most innovative in the world. However, the program is high cost, leaves many uninsured, is not portable, and discriminates against small businesses for tax purposes. He states that President Obama's plan detracts from all the positives, and does not address the flaws in the current system.
After this, Governor Romney outlines his plan for health care in which he states that if elected, President Romney would issue a waiver to all states on Obamacare and then work with Congress to repeal the legislation. He states that he would care for those with pre-existing conditions, provide health care for low income individuals, provide portability, and ensure consumer choice. To accomplish these tasks, Governor Romney establishes five principles; restore state leadership, empower individual ownership, focus federal regulation, reform medical liability, and introduce market forces.
In restoring state leadership, Governor Romney states that his plan would allow states to find their own ways to deal with chronically ill and poor people, and that he would block grant medicare funds to each state without mandating how that money was spent.
To empower individual ownership, Governor Romney proposes to give individuals the same tax incentives as are given to large employers. He states that this would promote portability, and allow people to purchase the plans they want and not what the HR department wants.
To focus federal regulation, Governor Romney states that individuals who have maintained coverage for a given length of time may not be denied coverage. However, someone who has not been insured for a long period of time cannot purchase insurance after becoming ill. He also states that he would allow people to purchase insurance across state lines, allow insurance companies to develop new packages to be purchases, and reform the liability system.
Finally, Governor Romney states that making insurance more like purchasing a product and less like a government system would be best for health care. This includes rating systems similar to consumer reports, and forces consumers to be more concerned with the cost of the care available to them.
Manchester Town Hall
On June 3, 2011 Governor Romney spoke at a town hall in Manchester, New Hampshire. When asked about the part of Obamacare that granted exemptions for pre-existing conditions. He stated that he would end Obamacare, but keep the provision for pre-existing conditions. He also expressed support for purchasing health care across state lines, and tort reform.
My own view is that we need to repeal Obamacare for a couple of reasons. ... My bill in Massachusetts was 70 pages and we dealt with the issue of pre-existing conditions, and I think in a pretty effective way. His is two-thousand and seven hundred pages, and in those two-thousand six hundred and some odd pages, he does a lot more than just deal with pre-existing conditions. He has the federal government take over managed health care, just like they want to take over and manage education. The American people are saying in every way they can "no way".
Now, I have said that if I am President that I will repeal Obamacare, and by the way, on day one of my administration I will direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to grant a waiver from Obamacare to all 50 states.
That said, there are some things that I wanna make sure that we do at the federal level. One of them is relating to pre-existing conditions. And here's the issue. Let's say you're working at a company for 20 years and you happen to develop diabetes, and you know that now your health care is gonna be real expensive. And that employer you're working for goes out of business, or you need to change jobs to move across the country to follow your family or whatever. And now you go to a new employer and they won't hire you because they can't get you insurance, or they don't want to pay the cost of your care. Or the insurance company won't insure you because you've got a pre-existing condition. That doesn't make sense to me. So I would propose at the federal level we say that if individuals have been continuously covered for some period of time, that they can't be denied ongoing coverage because they've developed what's known as a pre-existing condition. That's something that I would say is fair in dealing with insurance.
There are other things that I think we have to say about insurance. That is that we ought to be able to buy across state lines and buy policies that make the most sense for us. And by the way, employers and small groups ought to be able to pool together and purchase insurance in pools so that they can get the discount.
By the way one of the things that I think that we ought to do. Let's get rid of the extraordinary costs of the medical malpractice system.
I agree with him (the questioner) that we ought to take care of those with pre-existing conditions.
Sean Hannity Interview
In June of 2011, Governor Romney was interviewed by Sean Hannity and they spoke at length about Obamacare and Romneycare. The Governor noted the differences in the programs and his desire to see Obamacare repealed.
New Hampshire Debate
In June of 2011, Governor Romney participated in the Presidential debate in New Hampshire. He was asked about the comparisons of his plan to Obamacare and noted the differences in the two scenarios.
KING: Governor Romney, just yesterday, Governor Pawlenty, who is to your left on the stage tonight, called your Massachusetts plan, which you know has become a focal point of the criticism in this campaign from your friends here, Obamneycare, Obamneycare. Is that a fair comparison?
ROMNEY: You know, let me say a couple things. First, if I'm elected president, I will repeal Obamacare, just as Michelle indicated. And also, on my first day in office, if I'm lucky enough to have that office, I will grant a waiver to all 50 states from Obamacare.
Now, there's some similarities and there are some big differences. Obamacare spends a trillion dollars. If it were perfect -- and it's not perfect, it's terrible -- we can't afford more federal spending.
Secondly, it raises $500 billion in taxes. We didn't raise taxes in Massachusetts.
Third, Obamacare takes $500 billion out of Medicare and funds Obamacare. We, of course, didn't do that.
And, finally, ours was a state plan, a state solution, and if people don't like it in our state, they can change it. That's the nature of why states are the right place for this type of responsibility. And that's why I introduced a plan to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a state-centric program.
Iowa Debate
In August of 2011, Governor Romney participated in the Republican Presidential debate in Ames, Iowa. He discusses health care and notes that the states have the right to enact a mandate as part of health care reform as he did in Massachusetts under the tenth amendment. He also notes the increased personal responsibility in the mandate.
WALLACE: Governor Romney, I'm going to ask you a question about health care, but I'd like to give you 30 seconds to respond to the criticism of other parts of your record.
ROMNEY: I think I like Tim's answer at the last debate better. (LAUGHTER)
There are some similarities between what we did in Massachusetts and what President Obama did, but there are some big differences. And one is, I believe in the 10th Amendment of the Constitution. And that says that powers not specifically granted to the federal government are reserved by the states and the people.
We put together a plan that was right for Massachusetts. The president took the power of the people and the states away from them and put in place a one-size-fits-all plan. It's bad law. It's bad constitutional law. It's bad medicine. And if I'm president of the United States, on my first day, I'll direct the secretary of HHS to grant a waiver from Obamacare to all 50 states. (APPLAUSE)
WALLACE: But, Governor -- and this is -- this is your one-minute question. Do you think that government at any level has the right to make someone buy a good or service just because they are a U.S. resident? Where do you find that authority, that mandating authority, government making an individual buy a good or service in the Constitution?
ROMNEY: Chris, you're -- you're asking me, what do we think we should do about Obamacare? And the answer is...
WALLACE: No, I'm asking you...
ROMNEY: And the answer is -- the answer is, I think you have to repeal Obamacare, and I will, and I'll put in place a plan that allows states to craft their own programs to make those programs work.
WALLACE: But, sir, I'm asking you where you find that authority in the Constitution.
ROMNEY: And let -- and let me tell you -- where do I find it in the constitution? Are you familiar with the Massachusetts constitution? I am. And the Massachusetts constitution allows states, for instance, to say that our kids have to go to school. It has that power. The question is, is that a good idea or bad idea? And I understand different people come to different conclusions.
What we did in our state was this. We said, look, we're finding people that can afford insurance, health insurance, that are going to the hospital and getting the state to pay for them. Taxpayers are picking up hundreds of millions of dollars of costs from people who are free riders.
We said, you know what? We're going to insist that those people who can afford to pay for themselves do so. We believe in personal responsibility. And if the people aren't willing to do that, then they're going to help the government pay for them. That was our conclusion.
The right answer for every state is to determine what's right for those states and not to impose Obamacare on the nation. That's why I'll repeal it. (APPLAUSE)
Reagan Debate
In September of 2011, Governor Romney participated in the Republican debate in the Reagan Library. He talks about his previous health care plan in comparison to Obamacare.
PERRY: It was a great opportunity for us as a people to see what will not work, and that is an individual mandate in this country.
HARRIS: Got it. That actually, Governor Romney, leads to my question. I've heard you on this many times before. You said some things about the Massachusetts law worked; other things didn't work as well. Let's go to what Governor Perry mentioned, the individual mandate, the government saying that people have to buy health insurance. Was that one of the things that worked in Massachusetts?
ROMNEY: Let's step back and make sure I make something very clear from the very outset. I understand health care pretty darn well, having been through what I went through as a governor. And one thing I'd do on day one if I'm elected president is direct my secretary of health and human services to put out an executive order granting a waiver from Obamacare to all 50 states. It is bad law, it will not work, and I'll get that done in day one.
(APPLAUSE) Now, number two, what we face in our state is different than what other states face. What we had is a lot of people who found that they could simply stop getting insurance, go to the hospital, and get free care paid for by the people, paid for by taxpayers. We were spending hundreds of millions of dollars in our state giving care to people who in some cases could afford to take care of themselves.
And we said, you know what? You've either got to get insurance, if you can afford it, or you're going to have to help pay the cost of providing that care to your -- to you. And that was the approach that we took.
It's a model that lets other states take a look at it. Some parts of it have been copied by other states; some haven't. One thing I know, and that is that what President Obama put in place is not going to work. It's massively expensive. In our state, our plan covered 8 percent of the people, the uninsured.
HARRIS: Governor, time.
ROMNEY: His plan is taking over 100 percent of the people, and the American people don't like it and should vote it down.
TEA Party Debate
In September of 2011, Governor Romney participated in the TEA Party debate and was asked about his previous policies and his support for a statewide mandate
BLITZER: Thank you, Mr. Cain.
Governor Romney, a lot of the Tea Party supporters here and around the country have a real serious problem with the health care mandate that you got through in Massachusetts. Is there anything you want to say to them to revise or amend? Do you stand by what you did?
ROMNEY: Absolutely. And let me come back and just mention something that -- Herman Cain is right, and let's get back to getting the cost of health care down. I happen to think that's an enormous issue. And I agree with almost everything you said, Herman, but the reason health care is so expensive, I think you hit the nail on head. You said it's not just because of insurance, it's because of the cost of providing care. And one reason for that is the person who receives care in America generally doesn't care how much it costs, because once they've paid their deductible, it's free. And the provider, the more they do, the more they get paid.
We have something that's not working like a market. It's working like a government utility. And so what we have to do is make sure that individuals have a concern and care about how much something costs. And for that to happen, health savings accounts.
Give people a stake in what the cost of insurance is going to be, what the cost of it is going to be. Co-insurance, where people pay a share of the bill, that makes a difference.
And with regards to Massachusetts care, I'm not running for governor. I'm running for president. And if I'm president, on day one I'll direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to grant a waiver from Obamacare to all 50 states.
It's a problem that's bad law, it's not constitutional. I'll get rid of it.
Western Debate
In October of 2011, Governor Romney participated in the Western Debate in Las Vegas. He was pressured about MassCare and answered numeruos questions on the matter.
ROMNEY: You know, this I think is either our eighth or ninth debate. And each chance I've -- I've had to talk about Obamacare, I've made it very clear, and also in my book. And at the time, by the way, I crafted the plan, in the last campaign, I was asked, is this something that you would have the whole nation do? And I said, no, this is something that was crafted for Massachusetts. It would be wrong to adopt this as a nation.
SANTORUM: That's not what you said.
ROMNEY: You're -- you're shaking -- you're shaking your head.
SANTORUM: Governor, no, that's not what you said.
ROMNEY: That happens -- to happens to be...
(CROSSTALK)
SANTORUM: It was in your book that it should be for everybody.
ROMNEY: Guys... PERRY: You took it out of your book.
SANTORUM: You took it out of your book.
ROMNEY: Hey, his turn. His turn, OK, and mine.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: I'll tell you what? Why don't you let me speak?
(CROSSTALK)
SANTORUM: You're allowed -- you're allowed to change -- you're allowed to change...
ROMNEY: Rick, you had your chance. Let me speak.
SANTORUM: You can't change the facts.
ROMNEY: Rick, you had your chance. Let me speak.
SANTORUM: You're out of time. You're out of time.
COOPER: He ate into your time.
(BOOING)
Rick...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: I haven't had a chance to respond yet, because you were interrupting the entire time I was trying to speak.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: Let me make it very clear.
COOPER: I'll give another 20 seconds.
ROMNEY: And -- look -- look, we'll let everybody take a look at the fact checks. I was interviewed by Dan Balz. I was in interviews in this debate stage with you four years ago. I was asked about the Massachusetts plan, was it something I'd impose on the nation? And the answer is absolutely not.
It was something crafted for a state. And I've said time and again, Obamacare is bad news. It's unconstitutional. It costs way too much money, a trillion dollars. And if I'm president of the United States, I will repeal it for the American people.
...
COOPER: Governor Romney, I'm going to give you 30 seconds.
ROMNEY: I'm -- I'm sorry, Rick, that you find so much to dislike in my plan, but I'll tell you, the people in Massachusetts like it by about a 3-1 margin.
And we dealt with a challenge that we had, a lot of people that were expecting government to pay their way. And we said, you know what? If people have the capacity to care for themselves and pay their own way, they should.
Now, I can tell you this, it's absolutely right that there's a lot that needs to be done. And I didn't get the job done in Massachusetts in getting the health care costs down in this country. It's something I think we have got to do at the national level. I intend to do that.
But one thing is for sure. What Obama has done is imposed on the nation a plan that will not work, that must be repealed. And when it comes to knowledge about health care and how to get our health care system working, I may not be a doctor like this one right over here, but I sure understand how to bring the cost of health care down and how to also make sure that we have a system that works for the American people.
SANTORUM: It didn't do it. It didn't do it.
COOPER: Speaker Gingrich, you've also been very critical of Mitt Romney's plan not only on Obamacare, but his plan to lower the capital gains tax only on those earning under $200,000.
GINGRICH: I want to say on health for a minute -- OK, let's just focus. "The Boston Herald" today reported that the state of Massachusetts is fining a local small business $3,000 because their $750-a-month insurance plan is inadequate, according to the bureaucrats in Boston.
Now, there's a fundamental difference between trying to solve the problems of this country from the top down and trying to create environments in which doctors and patients and families solve the problem from the bottom up.
And candidly, Mitt, your plan ultimately, philosophically, it's not Obamacare, and that's not a fair charge. But your plan essentially is one more big government, bureaucratic, high-cost system, which candidly could not have been done by any other state because no other state had a Medicare program as lavish as yours, and no other state got as much money from the federal government under the Bush administration for this experiment. So there's a lot as big government behind Romneycare. Not as much as Obamacare, but a heck of a lot more than your campaign is admitting.
(APPLAUSE)
COOPER: Governor Romney, 30 seconds.
ROMNEY: Actually, Newt, we got the idea of an individual mandate from you.
GINGRICH: That's not true. You got it from the Heritage Foundation.
ROMNEY: Yes, we got it from you, and you got it from the Heritage Foundation and from you.
GINGRICH: Wait a second. What you just said is not true. You did not get that from me. You got it from the Heritage Foundation.
ROMNEY: And you never supported them?
GINGRICH: I agree with them, but I'm just saying, what you said to this audience just now plain wasn't true.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: OK. Let me ask, have you supported in the past an individual mandate?
GINGRICH: I absolutely did with the Heritage Foundation against Hillarycare.
ROMNEY: You did support an individual mandate?
ROMNEY: Oh, OK. That's what I'm saying. We got the idea from you and the Heritage Foundation.
GINGRICH: OK. A little broader.
ROMNEY: OK.
BACHMANN: Anderson?
COOPER: He still has time. Let him finish.
ROMNEY: I get a little time here.
Number two, we don't have a government insurance plan. What we do is rely on private insurers, and people -- 93 percent of our people who are already insured, nothing changed. For the people who didn't have insurance, they get private insurance, not government insurance.
And the best way to make markets work is for people to be able to buy their own products from private enterprises. What we did was right for our state, according to the people in our state. And the great thing about a state solution to a state issue is, if people don't like it, they could change it.
Now, there are a lot of things.
Huckabee Forum
In December of 2011, Governor Romney participated in a forum that was moderated by Mike Huckabee. He was asked about his plan in Massachussetts and what he would have done differently.
2012 Campaign Website Statements
HEALTH CARE
Our next president must repeal Obamacare and replace it with market-based reforms that empower states and individuals and reduce health care costs. States and private markets, not the federal government, hold the key to improving our health care system.
POLICY
TAX REFORM
Empower individuals to purchase their own insurance
The tax code currently offers open-ended subsidies for the purchase of insurance through employers. Mitt Romney will expand the tax deduction to also include those who buy their own health insurance. This simple change creates the best of both worlds. Absolutely nothing will change for those who like their current coverage. And individuals who don't get coverage through their employers will have portable, lower-cost options.
MARKET FORCES
Make health care more like a market and less like a government program
Mitt Romney will strengthen health savings accounts (HSAs), which help consumers save for health expenses and choose cost-effective insurance. For example, he believes that we should permit HSA funds to be used to pay for health insurance premiums. The market reforms Mitt is proposing will drive down costs, better inform consumers, and improve the quality of health care in our nation.
OBAMACARE
Repeal and replace President Obama’s health care law
Mitt Romney believes that Obamacare must be repealed. On his first day in office, he will issue an executive order paving the way for waivers from Obamacare for all 50 states. Subsequently, he will call on Congress to fully repeal Obamacare, and advocate reforms that return power to the states, improve access by slowing health care cost increases, and make health insurance portable and flexible for today’s economy.
STATE LEADERSHIP
Give states the responsibility, flexibility, and resources to act
The central advantage of our federalist system is that different states will experiment with and settle on the health care solutions that suit their residents best. We can empower states to expand health care access to low-income Americans by block-granting funds for Medicaid and the uninsured. Mitt Romney’s reforms also offer the states resources to help the chronically ill, to improve their access to care, and to improve the functioning of insurance markets for others.
REGULATORY REFORM
Focus federal regulation of health care on making markets work
Mitt Romney believes that the federal regulation of health care should be limited and focused. Obamacare takes an opposite approach and uses federal regulation in an all-encompassing manner. Mitt will use limited federal regulation to correct common failures in insurance markets, while eliminating counterproductive federal rules. For example, individuals who are continuously covered for a specified period of time may not be denied access to insurance because of pre-existing conditions. Mitt also believes that individuals should be allowed to purchase insurance across state lines, free from costly state benefit requirements. Finally, individuals and small businesses should be allowed to form purchasing pools to lower insurance costs and improve choice.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE REFORM
Reform the broken medical liability system
The current medical liability system encourages defensive medicine and drives up health care costs. To address these problems, Mitt Romney will cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice litigation. He also believes in providing innovation grants to states for additional medical liability reforms, such as alternative dispute resolution or health care courts.
