Mitt Romney just gave a more articulate defense of Obamacare than President Obama ever has. He continues to believe that the individual mandate is a good idea, despite the fact that the “free-rider” problem is a myth. His effort to make a distinction between Romneycare and Obamacare was not persuasive: If anything, he convincingly made the opposite case, that Romneycare and Obamacare are based on the same fundamental concept.
In recent months, Romney has claimed that Romneycare was a specific solution for the specific needs of Massachusetts. But in his remarks, he did not name one specific aspect of the Massachusetts health-care environment that is unique to that state. If there are no important differences between the Massachusetts health-care system and that of other states, why shouldn’t he believe that Romneycare should be the model for every other state?
Indeed, here is what Romney wrote in the Wall Street Journal on April 11, 2006, the day before he signed his signature health-care legislation:
How much of our health-care plan applies to other states? A lot. Instead of thinking that the best way to cover the uninsured is by expanding Medicaid, they can instead reform insurance.
The final straw, for me, was when Romney said that “there’s not a lot that I want to borrow from France and Switzerland.” I’m with him on France, but Switzerland (despite its own individual-mandate issues) has the most market-oriented health-care system in the developed world. I would love to borrow Switzerland’s exceptionally low levels of state-health spending, which they manage to achieve while providing universal coverage and high-quality care. Their tax rates aren’t shabby either.
— Avik Roy is an equity research analyst at Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co., and blogs on health-care policy at The Apothecary. You can follow him on Twitter at @aviksaroy.
Mr. Roy, with all due respect, what were you watching? Illogical Terrible HealthCare address?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou nit pick and select your article on a couple of statements out of the entire address and conclude that Romney's HealthCare plan is the same as Obama Care?
Governor Romney articulated the differences between both HealthCare plans and in my opinion made the differences absolutelly clear.....it's not even close!
In order top be a credible opinionist you need to at least try to be objective and sir are not.......
Remember, this is one of the guys that the Establishment, including most of the people here at NRO, kept trying to push down our throats so we won't vote for Palin during the primaries.
Nice try, guys.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseUm, Avik...
Are you [i]trying[/i] to make a fool of yourself?
Any objective observer would understand the intent of the presentation. It was pretty clear that he does not want to force MassCare on the rest of the country.
I, for one, am impressed by his nationwide plan that will bring costs down.
Your article makes you look like a fool. People reading this can see your intent here. Destroy a good man who stands up for himself.
You ought to get a TV gig at MSNBC at this rate.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRomneycare, like Obamacare, was a terrible idea both in theory and in practice. In theory, because it is yet another big-government, nanny-state intrusion into our lives and in practice because instead of decreasing health care costs, they are skyrocketing in Massachusetts. You just have to read yesterday's Wall Street Journal's evisceration of Romneycare to know that this is not an issue that Romney can ever get himself out from under. Give it up, Mitt. You chose stubborn defense of your namesake lemon instead of mea culpas. Now go fall on your Romneycare sword and stop wasting everybody's time.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOh Avik, Avik, Avik...
Lighten up. What do you have against a Pro-Life position such as universal healthcare?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think you cherry pick your information to attack Romney even after he articulated better than anyone I have ever seen. That means he hit a home run and you just suck at reporting the truth. People like me actually watched it and know better. I guess like hitler if you tell the lie long enough people believe the nazi press.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJudging from the hysterical caterwauling from the fringes, I'd have to say Romney hit the ball out of the park.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseA very unserious discussion for such a meaningful title. It was not illogical, I came away understanding why he did what he did and what he would change going forward. I agreed with every going forward topic. I am against federal and state mandates. A mandate just means that the government wants a particular result and doesn't know how to get to it. I do think we can all see, including Mitt that the MA plan didn't work well. His going forward plan addresses that. His powerpoint presentation was great BTW.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSince when is the 'free rider' problem the sole raison-d'etre for the individual mandate. This strikes me as a very dishonest framing of the debate.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTwo words for those considering supporting Romney:
HERMAN CAIN!
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Lighten up. What do you have against a Pro-Life position such as universal healthcare?"
He's for universal health care, he just thinks 'the market' can do it and therefore government shouldn't. Why he thinks that I have no idea.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"...why shouldn’t he believe that Romneycare should be the model for every other state?"
Mr. Roy, you are making a logical leap on Romney's behalf. Romney placed emphasis on the distinction of having a state formulate a health-care plan, and having the federal government formulate such a plan (see slides 3, 4, 7, 11, and 12 of his presentation at External Link
). While I personally disagree with the approach of Romney's plan in MA, I can respect the distinction he made. The line from your article, as quoted above, makes a logical leap that Mr. Romney specifically contradicted. What evidence do you have to show that what Mr. Romney said today is not what he actually thinks?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseEvelio: Romney said little to convince this physician that RomneyCare and ObamaCare are all that much different. We have seen the disaster that Massachusetts has become in terms of rising health care costs, decreased access, increased ER visits, increased wait times, etc., and Romney was the architect of that decline. Furthermore, those who designed ObamaCare have repeatedly said that they used RomneyCare as their blueprint. I am sure they will be happy with today's speech since they have been urging him to defend this monster. The great thing about federalism (at least in the past) is that failed big government experiments like RomneyCare usually only damaged the state they were implemented in, and citizens and physicians could leave. Now that we have ObamaCare, there is nowhere in this country to escape to. Romney has doubled-down on his terrible plan. He is now better suited for Obama's HHS Secretary than President. May be he a Roy LaHood can share an office together.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt's time to play taps over Romney's candidacy, although it was probably already DOA because of the healthcare albatross. From this moment on, he will only be wasting voluminous amounts of money at a rate not seen since...Romney's last candidacy? Why the establishment ever saw this guy as a comer -- other than his money -- is beyond me. He comes across about as authentic as a Sears Roebuck mannequin, and his complete inability to defend himself against John McCain’s smarmy attacks in the last campaign made him the LAST candidate I would want to follow into battle. The guy was a down-the-line liberal Republican before running for governor of Massachusetts and a born-again conservative who appeared to adapt every focus-group tested conservative stance in the books the instant he decided to run for the Presidential nomination. What he would be in office is anyone's guess, although unreliable certainly comes to mind. It's time to kick dirt on this loser and move on...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRomney is so busy defending his big government solution to healthcare that he ignores the RomneyCare impact on the taxpayers. All liberals like Romney and Obama declare how they saved some unfortunate but never speak of the higher taxes and regulation compliance burden on businesses. They build their political careers on the backs of taxpayers with complete disregard while pound their puffed up chests because they saved the world at someone else’s expense.
Romney is so delusional over RomneyCare’s impact that he and his Kool-aid drinking disciples think that everyone else is misunderstanding their intentions.
Republican primary voters still have a tough time squaring Mr. Romney’s new tack to the right on abortion and gun issues in 2008 against his tack to the left when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994. During that race, he distanced himself from former President Ronald Reagan in a debate by saying, “I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush, I’m not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.”
Romney lost that race.
Successful state governors know how to lead budget debates and set fiscal agendas that help state legislators focus on budget priorities. The 2012 election gives voters a chance to elect a conservative governor who passed 8 state budgets that reduced spending without raising taxes through a hostile liberal Democrat majority legislature.
Governor Tim Pawlenty’s successful conservative record proves that he is the only Presidential candidate that can be trusted and is up to the job.
2012 can't get here soon enough.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGov. Romney announced that on his first day as President, he would issue an executive order paving the way for Obamacare waivers for all 50 states. He would also call on Congress to repeal Obamacare.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat part of all of this did any of you miss?
How can the John the Baptist of Obamacare repeal Obamacare?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWow! What is it about "States make up their own healthcare policies" and "by executive order will repeal Obamacare day one" are people/news/NR not getting? I mean how many times does he have to states this? Really!!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIs there a wide spread belief that Gov. Romney is secretly awaiting election to the Presidency so he enact Mass healthcare on the nation? Is that what people believe?
Wow, really Bubba Shawn? You're saying Pawlenty governed as a conservative but not Romney? I lived in Minnesota while T-Paw was governor and he was not this amazing conservative governor. Sure he stood up to the DFL every once in a while, but if you're going to bring up RomneyCare I think it's fair for me to bring up cap and trade. Plus, Romney balanced the budget every year he was governor and did so without raising taxes. That is exactly what you were talking about with taking the lead on budget and financial issues.
Pawlenty is the only Presidential candidate that can be trusted to put me to sleep every time he speaks.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMany here are showing your true political colors on this topic, it is obvious that some of you are opining without having heard the speech and it shows.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDo we really want unfair and libelist politics in America?
In order to continue to have fair minded discussions we need to respect our candidates, by lying and distorting the facts is not in the best interest of our Republican Party and in the final and necessary goal of defeating President Obama . Are we no better than the bomb throwing Socialists on the left?