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The Price of RomneyCare
Wall Street Journal ^ | July 29, 2008 | Op-Ed

Posted on 07/31/2008 8:49:09 AM PDT by greyfoxx39

Gearing up for 2009, liberals are eager to claim Massachusetts as a Valhalla of health reform. Their enthusiasm is apparently evidence-proof.

-SNIP-

Most of this growth in coverage has instead come via a new state entitlement called Commonwealth Care. This provides subsidized insurance to those under 300% of the poverty level, or about $63,000 for a family of four.

-SNIP

As this public option gets overwhelmed, budget gaskets are blowing everywhere. Mr. Patrick had already bumped up this year's spending to $869 million, $144 million over its original estimate. Liberals duly noted that these tax hikes are necessary because enrollment in Commonwealth Care is much higher than anticipated. But of course more people will have coverage if government gives it to them for free.

-SNIP_

Mr. Patrick wants one-time (yeah, right) charges of $33 million on insurers and $28 million on providers, plus some shuffling of state funds. The balance comes from an estimated $33 million boost in the state's "pay or play" tax: If businesses don't offer "fair and reasonable" insurance to their employees, they get hit.

-SNIP-

A state-sponsored study shows that total spending on mandates was $1.32 billion in 2005, or 12% of premiums. The study is devastating despite its pro-mandate slant.

-SNIP-

Not that such practical lessons have stopped liberals from joining the Massachusetts parade. They have to gussy up the state's model because the extravagant claim that led to its creation -- that health care will be less expensive if everyone is covered -- is being relentlessly discredited.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: election; healthcare; mccain; romney; romneylegacy; vp
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To: Vigilanteman
Unlike what the RINO Romney became, Dictator-Chameleon,
Pres. Reagan actually won in Massachusetts,
because unlike a fake-'conservative'-Romney, Reagan was the REAL THING.


61 posted on 07/31/2008 11:56:00 AM PDT by Diogenesis (Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: Vigilanteman
Believe it or not, MA was on a republican roll until Romney. But even if the plan was good enough for MA, it is not good enough for America. Also, even the democrats rejected HillaryCare and universal mandates. We shouldn't bring it back for them.

62 posted on 07/31/2008 12:23:21 PM PDT by ari-freedom (I support the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus! http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/)
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To: CharlesWayneCT
I did a title and keyword search...neither turned up the thread.

Search is our friend. Blind Anger is not.

Try looking at your co-supporters of Mitt for the blindness...AND the anger.... at anyone who refuses to worship at the feet of the Chosen One With Perfect Hair!

Maybe you could change the title to "hey, we need another Romney Bashing Thread".

Gee, THAT sounds a little angry to ME...you have about 25 recent Romney-worshipping threads to choose from...just ignore this one. I promise not to miss you.

63 posted on 07/31/2008 12:27:08 PM PDT by greyfoxx39 (Eighteen new "I love Romney" threads in the past week,.and counting! Flacking for VP or love-god?)
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To: Diogenesis

Reagan was the real thing and he also knew how to connect to ordinary people. That’s another thing the Ann Coulter wing of the conservative movement doesn’t quite understand.


64 posted on 07/31/2008 12:27:43 PM PDT by ari-freedom (I support the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus! http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/)
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To: greyfoxx39

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... Romney is an economic genius.


65 posted on 07/31/2008 12:29:26 PM PDT by Cinnamon Girl (McCain calls it "radical islamic terrorism," the dems don't refer to it at all)
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To: ari-freedom

Sen. John Kerry to Don Imus on RomneyCARE=HillaryCARE: "I like this health care bill".

Romney: “Make all the promises you have to...

Guilty

66 posted on 07/31/2008 12:34:05 PM PDT by Diogenesis (Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: ari-freedom
Believe it or not, MA was on a republican roll until Romney.

16 years of Republican Governors was a run of good luck more than anything else. If Romney hadn't run in 2002, that luck would have ended with Jane Swift or another losing candidate. If Romney had run in 2006, the winning streak might have continued. I can't say for sure, but when a Democrat state finally elects a Democrat again, it's more nature reasserting itself, than Romney's fault.

67 posted on 07/31/2008 12:36:42 PM PDT by x
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To: rhombus
Thanks for the link...it led me to this interesting Romney article:

Willard We Hardly Knew Ye

68 posted on 07/31/2008 12:53:20 PM PDT by greyfoxx39 (Eighteen new "I love Romney" threads in the past week,.and counting! Flacking for VP or love-god?)
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To: greyfoxx39

I was just suggesting a title that would more accurately reflect the thread contents. Most of the large comments to this thread cover a much broader range of subjects than what the WSJ said about Mass. health care.


69 posted on 07/31/2008 1:06:37 PM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: Vigilanteman
The stature Romney signed is online and shows no modifications since Patric took office.

I can find no bills passed relating to it. Maybe you can find one, I couldn't.

There have been regulatory changes but nothing major.

I suspect the plan is running as it was intended to.

The “old way” had the state coughing up “a billion” in tax money for the uninsured.

Now the state is coughing up 850 million or so to keep the new system running, for a net savings. Plus, some of that money is raised through fines, so it's not a tax.

If Romney's plan required Romney to stay there and run it, it lacked robustness and portability. This is a problem with any State run program, what happens if incompetent or bad people get their mitts on it? Soshacurity is a fine example.

70 posted on 07/31/2008 1:20:37 PM PDT by DBrow
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To: DBrow
Bills don't need to change with new legislation. Especially when liberals are in charge. The bureaucracy can just rework the details and/or the courts can just decree mandates.

Which is why it is always a bad idea to pass enabling legislation with even the best of safeguards. We don't have any disagreement here. But can you imagine the People's Commonwealth of Taxachusetts actually electing anyone who did?

71 posted on 07/31/2008 1:32:00 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or, are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: Diogenesis
It took four years of Jimmy Carter plus a three way race in 1980 before Reagan won. Romney is no Reagan, but who is?

Why do you think most of the conservative base (myself included) migrated to him after Fred Thompson dropped out? Are we all stupid and you're right?

Sorry, but I tend to trust Rush, Hannity, Ann Coulter and people who have actually done something for the conservative movement more than I do you.

72 posted on 07/31/2008 1:39:16 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or, are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: greyfoxx39
Congratulation on almost getting through one post without a religious or personal attack.

So tell us who you support.

73 posted on 07/31/2008 1:42:05 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or, are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: ari-freedom
Believe it or not, MA was on a republican roll until Romney.

Fact check: Romney was the last republican governor in a string of RINOs and arguably the most conservative RINO of that string.

74 posted on 07/31/2008 1:44:43 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or, are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: Vigilanteman
Congratulation on almost getting through one post without a religious or personal attack.

Too bad you couldn't do the same.

I support anybody but Obama. I don't need to be in love with a candidate to vote for him, nor do I see any of them as a savior for the world. That doesn't mean I will stay silent about a fraud.

75 posted on 07/31/2008 1:48:14 PM PDT by greyfoxx39 (Eighteen new "I love Romney" threads in the past week,.and counting! Flacking for VP or love-god?)
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To: x

It wasn’t just luck. MA was once ‘taxachusetts’ because of dukakis and Weld was a real supply sider/libertarian. Republicans can win in MA if they talk taxes and economic freedom. Not by raising fees, pushing corporate welfare and Commonwealth Care. That’s the old country club republican economics of Nixon, Ford, H.W Bush and George Romney.


76 posted on 07/31/2008 1:50:44 PM PDT by ari-freedom (I support the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus! http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/)
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To: Vigilanteman

no he wasn’t
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/hl663.cfm


77 posted on 07/31/2008 1:56:24 PM PDT by ari-freedom (I support the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus! http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/)
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To: greyfoxx39

I’m sure the Mass liberals at the Boston Phoenix are more than glad to oblige you in your “useful” work.


78 posted on 07/31/2008 1:58:05 PM PDT by rhombus
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To: long hard slogger; FormerACLUmember; Harrius Magnus; hocndoc; parousia; Hydroshock; skippermd; ...
Socialized Medicine aka Universal Health Care PING LIST

FReepmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this ping list.


79 posted on 08/01/2008 12:47:16 PM PDT by socialismisinsidious ( The socialist income tax system turns US citizens into beggars or quitters!)
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To: greyfoxx39

I’m not sure if the purpose of this WSJ op-ed is to try to convince McCain not to choose Romney as his running mate, or to chastise liberals in general for their love affair with statist health care.


80 posted on 08/01/2008 5:00:09 PM PDT by justiceseeker93
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