Obamacare vs. Romneycare

The general election battle has begun.  I fear that it is going to be fierce and that the negativity will be unlike anything that we have before witnessed in a presidential contest.  A lot is on the line in this election and both of these men know it.

Between Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney, we have two very different men with two very different visions for this country.  Each is extremely passionate about their cause and willing to fight bitterly to achieve it. 

It is going to get ugly.

AP Photo

I am confident that Americans will quickly begin to see the stark contrast between the leadership styles of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.  They are two very different leaders, driven by very different principles.  

Their records speak volumes about the path they would like our country to be on.

To see the glaring differences of the principles that drive these men, one only needs to look at the approach they each took on health care reform. 

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

In March 2010, an unprecedented health care reform bill was signed into federal law.  On the day it passed, only 35% of Americans supported the measure.  It was a bitter fight to get it approved.  Rumors of bribes and backdoor deals were made to acquire the needed votes and on the day the 2,000 page bill was passed, it was 60-39 along strict party lines--not one Republican supported the federal government's overhaul of the health care system.  

Even though it passed, it remains wildly unpopular with the American public.

Today, we await the Supreme Court's decision on this health care reform bill.  The justices are trying to determine the constitutionality of the centerpiece to ObamaCare--the individual mandate, which makes it mandatory for every US citizen to purchase private health insurance.   

(It is almost ironic to think that this bill was created under the leadership of President Obama--a former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School).

Health care reform is President Obama's signature legislation.  It was not bipartisan.  It is astronomically expensive.  It was not supported by the American people.  It raises taxes and it might not even be legal. 

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During Mitt Romney's time as governor, he too, initiated a bold health care reform plan in Massachusetts. His rivals have tried to make the case that RomneyCare was the blue print used to create ObamaCare.

Was it?

Shortly after Romney became governor, he worked in a bipartisan fashion to find a solution to the state's health care problem.  For two years, he and his Democrat colleagues sought input from businesses, doctors, individuals in the health care sector and the insurance industry.  

A 70 page health care bill was drafted and it passed with only two dissenting votes.  Taxes were not raised to pay for the reform and over 60% of Massachusetts' residents supported the legislation; today, 67% still do.

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Although Barack Obama and Mitt Romney each tackled the problem of Health Care reform, they went about it in two very different ways.  The results they each achieved are starkly different.

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I stumbled on an interesting article this morning on the site AmericaNeedsMitt.com.  This is a site is supported by Mitt Romney volunteers who are passionately supporting his candidacy.

One post addressed these differences with the following comparison: (click here for full article)

• Obamacare was unilateral.  Romneycare was bipartisan.
• Obamacare = government insurance.  Romneycare = private insurance.
• Obamacare = Costs $2 trillion over 10 years.  Romneycare = Funded within the existing MA budget.
• Obamacare requires all businesses to issue an IRS Form 1099 whenever goods or services in excess of $600 are purchased.  Romneycare had no such provision.
• Obamacare cut Medicare Advantage by $150 billion, forcing dozens of Medicare Advantage coverage providers to cut back vision, dental and prescription benefits.  Romneycare did not.
• Obamacare required a 30% payment cut for Medicare reimbursements to doctors.  Romneycare did not.
• Obamacare cut  Medicare spending by $400 billion.  Romneycare did not.
• Obamacare tax penalty for employers = $2000 per employee.   Romneycare tax penalty for employers = $249 per employee. (a penalty which Gov. Romney opposed and vetoed, but his veto was overridden.)

Another post on this site provided careful and meticulous analysis on the two health care reform plans.  The site provided sources for the information used in the comparison.  Click here to see their fully annotated footnotes.

Image from AmericaNeedsMitt.com/blog

In the coming election, we have two very different men with two very different visions for our country.

We owe it to ourselves to carefully scrutinize their records that we may fully understand how their visions will impact our future.  

I am more convinced than ever that Mitt Romney is the leader we can trust to bring about fiscal accountability to the federal government, he will lead in a true bipartisan fashion and he will responsibly address the debt that is drowning our nation.

The agenda he has set for his presidency shows me that this is what he wants--his record as Governor shows that he can.

Now more than ever, America needs Mitt.




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