Posted on 07/09/2009 6:05:03 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
Former GOP Governor Helped Make 2006 Reform Reality.
BOSTON -- Three years after the inception of Massachusetts’ landmark health reform legislation, which required every citizen to buy insurance, NewsCenter 5’s Ed Harding wondered what former Gov. Mitt Romney, a key political architect of the plan, thought of its progress. Call it protecting his legacy, well-earned pride, or seeing the glass as half-full, but Romney says Massachusetts deserves an ‘A.’
“It’s working like we had hoped it would work,” the one-time republic presidential candidate said. “We got nearly everybody in Massachusetts health insurance, which really, something people didn't think was possible.”
Romney said the same can be done nationwide, though he concedes what many in the Bay State are grappling with now, that the hardest part of the reform debate is controlling costs. It is projected that within a decade health care will account for 20 percent of all money spent in the United States.
Currently, health care accounts for between 17 and 18 percent of the United States’ gross domestic product.
“It’s huge,” said Romney. “We’ve got two challenges. One is to get everybody insured. Believe it or not that's the relatively easy job. The other job is to reign in the inflation associated with health care. We can do that too but it's a lot of work.”
Romney points to a recent analysis by the pro-reform Massachusetts Taxpayers’ Association, showing that since near-universal coverage was implemented in 2006, state taxpayers have had to shell out an additional $88 million per year to insure an additional 430,000 citizens.
“Some people say. ‘Oh, it's expensive,’ but actually, it cost less than two percent of the state budget.”
Romney is closely following the reform debate in Washington, DC, and pointed to President Barack Obama’s proposal for a government-run so-called public plan option as a “big mistake.”
“The current system with over 1,000 insurers in this country, is perfectly capable adequate to provide choice to people in America,” Romney said.
The former governor declined to answer when Harding asked if health care is a right of a privilege in the United States. He did insist, however, that on a national level politicians ought to be able to create a system where every citizen has health insurance.
WTF?
GEt rid of this guy!
Mass healthcare is now NOT working out!
He’s toast. Having the feds copy Romenycare is a recipe for totalitarianism.
-
Time for the Michael Corleone to Fredo line...
Add Romney’s stance on wanting a comprehensive immigration reform bill and you’ve got a disaster. Hey Mitt how about enforcing our existing immigration laws.
This is where Romney care, Hillary care and Obama care are all alike and another tax.
Slick Willard is proud of his Socialist budget-buster. Imagine dat.
Is Romney seeking the Dem. nomination in 2012? I did not know he was running against Hussien in the primaries.
Plus, Mitt is the one who let the gay genie out of the closet (bottle) in Mass. You are TOAST Mitt anywhere right of center! You make McLame look like Reagan!!
Methinks the FR Romney-bots will be ostentatiously silent on this thread.
Romney pretended to move to the right. He lost. Now he moved left again, where he is comfortable ;-)
Hahahaha this is the first time I’ve seen this one!
Romney, the Huckster and the rest of the statist Repubs need to get a room. Then we can lock the door from the outside.
This seems too good to be true. That's just over $200 a person per year.
And to think there are a lot of conservatives, esp. here in Michigan, that drool over this shyster.
Oh boy! Maybe the Romney-Bots will take the bait and we’ll get to humiliate them again! :-)
F Romney and the socialist horse he’s riding!
Rebellion is brewing!!
DONT TREAD ON ME!!
His opinion sure doesn’t match the opinion of the articles I’ve read on the program.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.