Mitt Romney, in a dramatic turn of events, says that he is not for the repeal of all of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). Romney has often said that one of his highest priorities is overturning President Obama’s signature heath care reform . Now he is saying that there are some parts he plans on keeping according to an interview he gave to NBC’s “Meet The Press”.
Romney said on the show:
“Well, 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. 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. I also want individuals to be able to buy insurance, health insurance, on their own as opposed to only being able to get it on a tax advantage basis through their company.”
This marks the latest turn around for Romney on health care reform. When Romney passed a law that was almost identical to Obamacare in Massachusetts, he said he wanted it to be a model for the nation. Then running for President he said he would work to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act.
Now Romney is saying he is still going to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but he will replace it with his own plan which will address the parts of Obamacare he likes.
Romney said:
“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.”
While that may be what Romney wants to see now, it blatantly contradicts what he said in a statement to the Huffington Post in June which said:
“Fixing our health care system means making sure that every American, regardless of their health care needs, can find quality, affordable coverage. That is why Governor Romney supports reforms to protect those with pre-existing conditions from being denied access to a health plan while they have continuous coverage. And for those purchasing insurance for the first time, he supports reforms that empower states to make high risk pools more accessible by using cost reducing methods like risk adjustment and reinsurance. Beginning on his first day in office, Governor Romney is committed to working with Congress to enact polices like these that protect Americans’ access to the care they need.”
It seems that Romney wants to make some changes to his position, it begs to question why he wants to do so now with the election so close?
