RomneyCare ‘Sort Of Similar’ To ObamaCare, But Only Obama Will Acknowledge It

[cal04]

RomneyCare ‘Sort Of Similar’ To ObamaCare, But Only Obama Will Acknowledge It

In an interview with President Obama today, NBC’s Matt Lauer wondered how the historic health care reform legislation that Obama signed last week “could be good for the American public in general when it didn’t receive one single Republican vote.” Obama responded by noting “that the Republican party made a calculated decision, a political decision, that they would not support whatever we did.” He then added that the bill “incorporates all sorts of Republican ideas” and is similar to what Mitt Romney did in Massachusetts:

OBAMA: And I think that’s unfortunate because when you actually look at the bill itself, it incorporates all sorts of Republican ideas. I mean a lot of commentators have said this is sort of similar to the bill that Mitt Romney, the Republican governor and now presidential candidate, passed in Massachusetts. A lot of the ideas in terms of the exchange, just being able to pool and improve the purchasing power of individuals in the insurance market. That originated from the Heritage Foundation and…

Noting the “middle of the road, centrist approach” of the reform legislation, Obama said that he was “frustrated that Republicans” who “had an opportunity to help shape this bill declined that opportunity.” “The overall architecture of it was actually something that was right down the middle,” said Obama.


Watch it:http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/30/obama-romney-health-care/


Obama’s reference to RomneyCare will undoubtedly cause discomfort for Romney, who has unconvincingly tried for months to distinguish his plan from Obama’s. Just yesterday in Iowa, Romney was on the defensive over the distinction between the two plans. “We solved our problem at the state level,” said Romney. “Why is it that President Obama is stepping in and saying ‘one size fits all?’’’

In an interview with the Boston Globe, MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, who advised the Romney and Obama administrations on their health insurance programs, attested to the plans’ similarities. “Basically, it’s the same thing,’’ said Gruber, adding that Obama’s national reform wouldn’t have happened if Romney had not made “the decision in 2005 to go for it. He is in many ways the intellectual father of national health reform.’’ Gruber also called Romney’s claims about the different ways that he and Obama finance their plans “disingenuous.’’

[theoldman]

1. There is good news and there is bad news.

The good news is that Obamacare is similar to Romney care. The bad news is that Obamacare is similar to Romney care. Romney care is not the perfect solution to our health care problem. It has not been able to rein in the cost of health care very much. The insurance companies have too much control in both state and federal government. In the long run both plans will need to be revised.

[ChicagoSuz219]

2. The BIG difference is...

Romneycare has coverage for abortions.

[ChicagoSuz219]

3. From now on: ObamaCares to describe HCR n/t