Oops, meant to post this article here: http://www.whoromneyis.com/Issues/RomneyCareObamaCare.html
BASED ON ENTIRELY CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES, and lauded by conservatives. Conservatives Sowed Idea Of Health Care Mandate - how soon they forget! (Applauded by Conservatives for use of conservative principles and innovation achieving a greater good for the uninsured.)
NOT A GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. Romney insisted on it being free market.
Only a COST SHARING requirement for “free riders”, to prevent state from taxpayers paying for those who could afford health insurance.
Romney vetoed Democratic legislature’s fee for businesses
The 85% Democratic legislature did slip in some items, which Romney vetoed but they overrode.
NO NEW TAXES (Vs. ObamaCare of 3.8% additional taxes, plus lots of fees) Romney insisted on that.
Low Complexity: Massachusetts bill: 70 pages. ObamaCare: 2700 pages
LANDMARK ACHIEVEMENT, supported by those on the left and the right.
ObamaCare is completely different, an extreme, borrowing only a few basics. See RCare compared to OCare.
I think that it would be best to look at RCare compared to OCare and the individual mandate, if you want to quickly understand what actually happened. And figure out if there really was an “individual mandate” or what really went on.
Why the bill had to be done
A bill was going to be passed anyway, so Romney gathered together experts, who proposed innovative
ideas to improve a bill that was going to be passed anyway. They did the best they could against an
85% Democratic legislature
Uninsured residents were not covered, which had a high cost to it
$395 million in federal funds - Required to be restructured to go to individuals rather than institution.
Romney only one of all states to request to keep saved funds of $580 million
Coverage very high
98.1 percent of state residents
99.8 percent of children; 99.6 percent of seniors
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Easy overview: Just go to RCare compared to OCare and the individual mandate. This should be sufficient for most people to see that Romney just proposed “cost sharing” and did a few big rescues.
“BASED ON ENTIRELY CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES, “
Based entirely on propaganda. RomneyCare has worked out so well for MA that they now impose price controls on their “free market” healthcare providers. I’ll also add that this “conservative” plan is subsidized. Over half of those “uninsured” people who signed up for RomneyCare get it entirely for free. Mittens entire point of the mandate was for “no more free riders.” So now the free riders get it legit. Meanwhile, prices continue to go up on those who aren’t free riders, in order to insure the legit free riders in the first place.