An interesting article was posted in the Nashua Telegraph—it spoke about how Mitt Romney has been shying away from the success of his healthcare in his home state of Massachusetts, because it looked too much like the much-maligned Obamacare. The author notes: “…with its individual responsibility provision and ground-breaking “marketplace” exchanges, has been a shining example for policy makers across the nation.” [1] This kind of praise does not come often from the Left-Leaning media, so lets see how Obama and Romney’s plans differ.
The first comes from the size of the foot that the shoe is being placed upon—Mitt Romney created a plan that best fit his home state, while Obama mismanaged by trying to create a one-size-fits-all solution for the entire United States. This idea was seconded by a Tea Party leader, Marco Rubio[2]. This is surprising to see since the voices in the Tea Party that have been the loudest have been the ones shouting down the unconstitutionality of Obamacare—so if Tea Partiers are on board, there must have been differences that made sense to them.
Romney states the idea that government should not run national “…healthcare any more than it's the answer for running Amtrak or the Post Office.” [3] There is a true difference here that in the state of Massachusetts, 98% of the citizens are insured and it only added 1% to the State Budget (which he had balanced well before he took on this initiative[4].
So, in conclusion, what is the major difference? From a 30,000-foot view, they look the same—but in the execution, Romney set himself apart. Romney didn’t mandate this to the nation or to all of New England, he took it to one state—and it was extremely effective. He only did it once the government could handle the increased spending and he effectively implemented it. Obamacare has turned into a mess that cannot be controlled that is burying physicians and patients alike under miles of paperwork. Romney’s healthcare plan worked for Massachusetts, it may not work for Georgia or California—but it made sense at the time and it was done well.
As the media takes this molehill and makes it into a mountain, Romney can be proud he is not trying to shove a mountain of legislation down the government’s throat.
[1]http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/opinionletters/917196-263/romney-should-embrace-his-record.html
[2]http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/19/rubio-obamacare-different-than-romneycare/
[3]http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/03/07/mitt-romney-repeal-obamacare-romneycare-was-differ/
[4]http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/04/12/mitts_challenge_distinguishing_obamacare_from_romneycare_109508.html
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