Mitt Romney has come out in favor of keeping part of some of the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. Earlier this year Romney said he would ‘repeal and replace Obamacare.” When asked on NBC’s Meet the Press, Romney said, “Well, I’m not getting rid of all of healthcare reform.”
“Of course, there are a number of things that I like in healthcare reform that I’m going to put in place,” Romney added. “One is to make sure that those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage. Two is to assure that the marketplace allows for individuals to have policies that cover their family up to whatever age they might like.”
Reuters reports,
The Obama healthcare law, among other provisions, prevents insurance companies from denying medical coverage to people who already are suffering from a medical condition. It also allows parents to keep their young-adult children on their health insurance plans until age 26.
The law is Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.
Elements of the state healthcare reform plan that Romney put in place as governor of Massachusetts served as a model for the federal law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by Obama in 2010 despite unified Republican opposition.
“I say we’re going to replace Obamacare. And I’m replacing it with my own plan. And even in Massachusetts when I was governor, our plan there deals with pre-existing conditions and with young people,” Romney said.
When asked about overturning Roe v. Wade, Romney stated that it “would be my preference” that it be overturned by justices he would appoint to the U.S. Supreme Court if there were vacancies. However, the GOP nominee apply a pro-life litmus test to justices.
“Well, there are a number of things I think that need to be said about preserving and protecting the life of the unborn child. And I recognize there are two lives involved: the mom and the unborn child,” Romney said.
Romney also supports abortion in the case of incest and rape. Romney told Scott Pelley on CBS Evening News, “My position has been clear throughout this campaign. I’m in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest, and the health and life of the mother.”
“I’m not getting rid of all of health care reform. Of course, there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I’m going to put in place,” Romney said. He cited coverage for people with medical conditions and new insurance marketplaces.
Romney’s aides said that was consistent with his previous position that those who haven’t had a gap in coverage shouldn’t be denied coverage.
But the comments brought renewed attention to the similarities between Obama’s plan and the one Romney championed when he was Massachusetts governor, which included both protections for health conditions and an individual mandate that the Republican has since railed against.
The GOP nominee didn’t offer specifics for how he’d deal with the affordability of insurance, but suggested competition would help bring down costs. For seniors, Romney has called for restructuring Medicare by giving retirees a government payment that they would use to choose between traditional Medicare and private insurance.
While new insurance markets, which is letting insurance companies sell across state lines, is good policy, I really do wonder about the federal government telling companies what they have to provide as a product. As far as I can tell the Constitution does not give them that right. An insurance company should be allowed to either insure someone or not insure them. Then let the marketplace determine which ones stay in business and which ones go out of business. The incredible pressure of covering pre-existing conditions on these companies will either put them out of business or raise the cost of healthcare across the board. In fact, it may just demand that they be subsidized by government, which again comes down to me and you paying for it.
