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.
I did think so, but quitting mid-stream just seems odd. Not that I can blame her with what she was putting up with, but I can’t see that helping her politically.
Let me rephrase it:
Does anyone on Free Republic still FEEL that Romney is a conservative?
What a flip-flop guy.
There are only two real answers to healthcare. Deny it to anyone that cannot afford it or provide it to everyone. There isn’t really any other option.. the costs of the people that don’t pay at all burden the rest of us. So force them to pay or deny it to them.
Personally I would take forcing them to pay.. but I’m sure others would prefer killing them all.
An insult to smooth river stones everywhere...
...and this is why he cannot be the GOP nominee or President. He’s a flake and a liberal socialist establishment.
How to pay for it is just as easy, lease out the off shore and ANWAR rights to oil companies and take part of the revenue (like a private land owner would) and not only would it pay for insurance, it would lower the HELL out of gas prices, end dependence on Arab oil and would be a boom in the US economy.
The Left likes to point out that Government spending during WWII ended the depression, but what they miss is that FDR didn't go create tank, aircraft and munitions companies, they became customers. 0bama and the left want to create State companies because they love socialism.
Romney has never been a conservative. He only played one in a movie.
I like accuracy...
"'The current system with over 1,000 insurers in this country, is perfectly capable adequate to provide choice to people in America,' Romney said."
““Some people say. ‘Oh, it’s expensive,’ but actually, it cost less than two percent of the state budget.””
From what I have heard, it has morphed into the beast that ate the budget and is now about TEN TIMES as much as it was just 3 or 4 years ago. And it’s going UP next year!
If the Republicans put this moron up for President in 2012, I’m out for good. If this jacka** gets the nomination, I’m forever going to flip the bird to the Republican party.
This idiot is nothing more than McCain with a greasier haircut.
Perfect!
And I have ALWAYS heard, if it is too good to be true, then it probably is. There is NO WAY that you can insure someone for $200 a year and not lose 20 times that much every year. The REAL cost of insuring someone through the government is about $25,000 a year.
He gives his useless health insurance mandate an A? I thought Mormons didn’t drink. Mitt needs to get off the sauce and stay sober.
Power and control will intoxicate you to the point where your senses no longer are in touch with reality.
I thought the Romney-plan had bankrupted the state.
You mean this ISN'T a Romney 527 site? How you talk!?! You should give yourself a time out for not supporting the (R) elites appointed "frontrunner" candidate ..... LOL
O NO the Romneybots will NOT like hearing about this.
Wow...
I got to hand it to you, faithful to the end...
Kinda like the captain of the Titanic...
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