Romney’s Health Issue

Ken O’Brien

No single issue has been a greater focus of those who oppose the Obama Administration than the Affordable Care Act (ACA), frequently referred to as “Obamacare”.

It can be credibly argued that this was the issue that gave birth to the “Tea Party” movement in concert with claims of “death panels” and the “government takeover of healthcare”. 

Recently it has moved into a realm where Republicans are arguing that the ACA is in violation of religious liberty because of an initial mandate that religiously affiliated institutions (hospitals and universities for example) would have to include contraceptive care in their health plans.

A compromise offered and mandated by the Obama Administration would excuse such institutions from the paying for the requirement and require that in such cases the option would be offered to women employed by such institutions (willingly for purely financial reasons I might add) by insurance companies with no cost to those institutions.

Nevertheless, Republicans and their talking heads on, most notably, Fox News, continue to argue that this is a violation of religious liberty. I have yet to see how these institutions can make any claim to their liberties being violated when the coverage that they object to will be offered by a third party.

In the midst of all of this, we have Willard “Mitt” Romney, the putative Republican front runner, having to distance himself from the keystone success he once proclaimed as the hallmark of his governorship in Massachusetts.

He has repeatedly proclaimed that his plan was for Massachusetts only. It was never intended as a template for the country as a whole.

Romney has been repeatedly criticized for his flip-flops on numerous issues.

But the ACA, which he claims he never intended as a result of Romneycare to be a plan for the nation, and which he claims he would repeal, is an incontestable Achilles heel.

Despite his claims to the contrary, in the current tumult of the Republican Presidential primaries, Think Progress has compiled a record of Romney’s previous statements on this issue.

All of those who were motivated by an opposition to “Obamacare” should stop to consider these comments. Once you view them you can judge just how much trust this man deserves in light of all of his changes of heart on so many issues.