On 2-year mark, Romney goes all-out against Obama's health care law

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns in Metairie, La., Friday, March 23, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Steven Senne

METAIRIE, La. - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney marked the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act with multiple attacks Friday against the controversial national law that was modeled largely on the pioneering law he signed in Massachusetts.

"President Obama's program is an unfolding disaster for the American economy, a budget-busting entitlement, and a dramatic new federal intrusion into our lives," Romney said in a USA Today op-ed piece. He also announced a new team of health care advisers and held a "repeal and replace" event in Louisiana, which has a GOP primary on Saturday.

Romney said here that while his GOP rivals have all said they would repeal the health care law, he is the only one who has offered a replacement. He said his plan would allow states to go in different directions and any federal role would be to strengthen the private insurance market. "I'd like, instead of having the government come in and mandate price and cost controls, I would like to have individuals have a greater incentive to shop around, and make this act more like a market," he said.

The former Massachusetts governor praised Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom former governor Jeb Bush has said he'd like to see as Romney's vice presidential pick, for his critique of the law. He said Rubio pointed out that "even if Obamacare were a perfect piece of legislation, and it's not, he said we can't afford $1 trillion of new federal spending."

Romney also said that "young people coming up through the education ranks are not going to want to become doctors in the future, because of Obamacare. That's one of the great disadvantages and threats that Obamacare represents."

And he noted that the White House does not have any plans to trumpet the anniversary. "You'll note the White House is not celebrating Obamacare today," he said. "They don't have any big, big ceremony going on. The president is not giving speeches on Obamacare and that's for a reason. Most Americans want to get rid of it."

The administration did release a new report highlighting benefits of the law. The Obama campaign, meanwhile, sent Vice President Joe Biden on the road to attack Romney's views on health care. The campaign also circulated a memo headlined "TODAY'S MITT ROMNEY WANTS TO LET INSURANCE COMPANIES WRITE THEIR OWN RULES WHILE SENIORS AND AMERICANS THAT GET SICK FEND FOR THEMSELVES."

Spokesman Ben LaBolt said Romney put in place a mandate that individuals buy coverage "to ensure all Massachusetts residents were taking responsibility for their own health care and everyone could get covered at a lower cost. He called his health care reform plan a national model. Now that he is running for President, Mitt Romney apparently no longer believes in these things."

[PourpaixPourpaix]

Well, I guess Romney feels that medical schools must attract only students who are interested in fabulous wealth. That, if becoming a doctor only means a modestly high-earning income with the satisfaction of helping people as a primary benefit, then the wrong people would become doctors. Come on, why can't you all get behind that? What's good for big business is good for America because it is good for the people who matter! Who cares about the rest? Surely you can see his point makes sense?

[Massresident]

If Romney would admit he made a mistake, I might consider voting for him. As it stands, he has convinced me that he sold out to the healthcare lobby for campaign donations and we can't afford to elect more men who do that.

The best evidence against the Unaffordable Health Care Act comes from the experience in Massachusetts. It has doubled the rate at which insurance premiums are going up without delivering an iota more health care. My in-laws don't have insurance and aren't subject to the mandate because they can't afford the premiums, as are essentially all of the "free loaders" Romney claims would have to buy insurance. That lie is the most offensive aspect of his claims. Republicans can't say anything against this law or the Federal version if we nominate Romney.

[ProtectAmericanJobs]

Devastating Health Insurance Cost Increases

We just got a notice that the cost of the healthcare coverage that we provide to our employees is increasing by 33% for those of us with the PPO plan and 36% for our employees who selected the cheaper HMO version of our plan. Yet our company has had to hold or reduce our own prices over the last 4 years and even going back into the late 90's we were lucky if we could even increase our prices 3-4% a year. How do these insurance companies justify these types of increases? Last year was the only year that their increases were even close to within reason and that's only because they were being challenged. If health insurance premiums increased double or even triple the rate of inflation we'd probably be able to accept it, but the ridiculous annual increase percentages over the past 10-12 years have been devastating to our business and our employees. Something needs to be done.

I didn't vote for President Obama and I know that the plan that they passed is not ideal, but at least he had the guts to take this issue on. I run a business that employs just over 20 people and neither our company nor our employees can afford this anymore. We're paying 65% and our employees are paying the balance. About 15 years ago we were paying 100%, then about 10 years ago had to cut it to 75% and then a few years back to 65%. I consider myself an independent voter, but going back to the Reagan days and with the only exception having been Perot, I've always voted Republican. So I'm not a lefty, yet I believe that every U.S. Citizen deserves basic healthcare coverage.

It doesn't matter which side fixes the problem - JUST FIX IT.

All this single-minded, left versus right, ideological one dimensional bull crap has got to go! This is the problem with our country. It shouldn't be about Democrats or Republicans! It should be about Americans, especially our elected officials, doing the right thing for our country and it's citizens.

Whatever it is, there has got to be a better way. Because if it doesn't change my company and our employees are going to go broke. We can not afford to keep having our premiums go up 20-35% per year. I'm sure if our leaders put all of the pettiness and the backroom agendas aside they could come up with a plan that could help America, all of it's citizens and the businesses that are trying to do right by their employees.

[sharkboy234]

MITT ROMNEY IS IN IT TO WIN IT IN LOUISIANA AND THIS PRIMARY COULD BE OVER
MITT ROMNEY SEAL THE DEAL AND BRING IT ON!

[smirk5]

More etch a sketch from Mutt Roofney.
He supported a federal health care mandate as late as 2009.

I'm sure his moronic supporters will look the other way as the mother-of-all flip-floppers strikes again.

[fedup12]

Robomneycare....... WHat a hypocrit.

[liberalmike]

exactly romney is an idiot and will never win the presidency!

[RobAla]

Did anyone see President Obama out celebrating the two year mark of the horrible health care law? NO. I think the President sees the handwriting on the wall. The Supreme Court will surely rule that the stupid individual mandate is unconstitutional. It will become apparent that President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi engaged in unconstitutional behavior in cramming this load of crap down the throats of a majority of Americans who do not want it.

We need a President who will take the oath of office to support and defend the US Constitution seriously.

[realist2010]

The majority of Americans voted for Obama. Little known fact.

[fitstshu]

REPUBLICANS FOR THE DEAD BEATS! I LOVE IT

[fedup12]

Robomneycare

[esq777]

Of course, Willard "Etch a Sketch" Romney never mentions the fact that the law is modeled on the law he signed while governor of Mass., just like he never mentions that his real name is Willard. This guy is such a ridiculous phony and fraud it's incredible he's ever been elected to anything. I guess he's somehow been able to fool enough gullible people to actually believe he has beliefs and a core, when in fact he's the biggest empty suit political hack that has ever lived.

[Larnan5]

Mitt,What will you do about this? You no longer like a version of our own healthcare plan. OK. Tell us your solution.

1. Medical Expenses and number 1 cause of bankruptcy
A study done at Harvard University indicates that this is the biggest cause of bankruptcy, representing 62% of all personal bankruptcies. One of the interesting caveats of this study shows that 78% of filers had some form of health insurance, thus bucking the myth that medical bills affect only the uninsured.
Rare or serious diseases or injuries can easily result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills - bills that can quickly wipe out savings and retirement accounts, college education funds and home equity. Once these have been exhausted, bankruptcy may be the only shelter left, regardless of whether the patient or his or her family was able to apply health coverage to a portion of the bill or not.