Earlier today, Chris Christie endorsed Mitt Romney for president,
describing him as “a real hero in Republican circles.” During his
announcement, he disparaged conservatives who oppose Romneycare, by
suggesting that any attempt to compare it to Obamacare is “completely
intellectually dishonest.” Governor Christie might want to look in the
mirror or step down as a prominent spokesman for the Republican Party.
Any attempt to suggest that the two healthcare plans are fundamentally different is completely intellectually dishonest.
Romney on Romneycare
“Let me tell you this about our system in Massachusetts: 92 percent of our people were insured before we put our plan in place. Nothing’s changed for them. The system is the same. They have private market-based insurance. We had 8 percent of our people that weren’t insured. And so what we did is we said let’s find a way to get them insurance, again, market-based private insurance. We didn’t come up with some new government insurance plan.” (FoxNews-Google Debate, Sept. 22)
Reality
Like every egregious government intervention in the private sector, MassCare drove up total health insurance costs in Massachusetts by $4.311 billion. Massachusetts individual health premiums are now the highest in the nation. The other 92% are being forced to pay higher premiums for what is no longer “market-based insurance.” The 8% that are “uninsured” were put on government programs, primarily Medicaid. That’s exactly what Obama seeks to do with Obamacare. The costs will be even higher once the federal government stops subsidizing Romneycare through extra Medicaid grants.
Any attempt to suggest that the two healthcare plans are fundamentally different is completely intellectually dishonest.
Romney on Romneycare
“Let me tell you this about our system in Massachusetts: 92 percent of our people were insured before we put our plan in place. Nothing’s changed for them. The system is the same. They have private market-based insurance. We had 8 percent of our people that weren’t insured. And so what we did is we said let’s find a way to get them insurance, again, market-based private insurance. We didn’t come up with some new government insurance plan.” (FoxNews-Google Debate, Sept. 22)
Reality
Like every egregious government intervention in the private sector, MassCare drove up total health insurance costs in Massachusetts by $4.311 billion. Massachusetts individual health premiums are now the highest in the nation. The other 92% are being forced to pay higher premiums for what is no longer “market-based insurance.” The 8% that are “uninsured” were put on government programs, primarily Medicaid. That’s exactly what Obama seeks to do with Obamacare. The costs will be even higher once the federal government stops subsidizing Romneycare through extra Medicaid grants.
