With 3 Different Answers In One Day, Romney Shows Health Care Is Just A Political Game To Him

From the Obama campaign:

STATEMENT: With 3 Different Answers In One Day, Romney Shows Health Care Is Just A Political Game To Him

“With three different answers in just one day, it’s clear that health care is just a matter of political gamesmanship to Mitt Romney, but it’s a matter of grave importance to American families who can find little comfort in his empty rhetoric. His promise to help people get insurance as long as they have had coverage in the past is anything but courageous leadership.  In fact, it’s been the law for more than 15 years, even before the Affordable Care Act.   If he wanted to show leadership, he would stand up to insurance companies, make tough, often politically unpopular choices like the President did and stop all discrimination for people with preexisting conditions – not just for those with coverage, but for all 129 million Americans who have a pre-existing condition.”—Lis Smith, campaign spokeswoman 

ROMNEY REPEATEDLY PROMISED TO “ABOLISH” OBAMACARE “ROOT AND BRANCH”

Romney: “Friday Is The Second Anniversary Of Obamacare. It Is Past Time To Abolish The Program, Root And Branch.” [Mitt Romney Op-Ed, USA Today, 3/22/12]

Romney Said Of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act: “We’re Going To Also Need To Get It Repealed To Get Rid Of All Of Its Elements.”Romney: “And then we have to go to work on some things that are a little tougher. One, I will grant a waiver from Obamacare to all 50 states. Can you see all the things that a President gets to do, if he cares about conservative principles? Some things like Obamacare, we’re going to also need to get it repealed to get rid of all of its elements. So if you give us a Republican House and a Republican Senate and a Republican President, we will get America right again such that it remains strong.” [Republican Jewish Coalition Forum, 12/7/11]

Romney Said On The First Day Of His Presidency He Would Issue And Executive Order To Provide Waivers From The Affordable Care Act And “Call On Congress To Fully Repeal ObamaCare.” Romney wrote in an op-ed about health care published in USA Today: “If I am elected president, I will issue on my first day in office an executive order paving the way for waivers from ObamaCare for all 50 states. Subsequently, I will call on Congress to fully repeal ObamaCare.” [Romney Op-Ed, USA Today, 5/11/11]

ROMNEY SAID HE WOULDN’T GET RID OF ALL OF OBAMACARE AND POINTED TO COVERAGE FOR PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS AND YOUNG AMERICANS SAYING ON THEIR FAMILY PLANS

Romney Said “I'm Not Getting Rid Of All Of Health Care Reform” Saying He Wanted To Make Sure People With Pre-Existing Conditions Could Get Coverage And Assure That The Marketplace Allows For Individuals To Have Policies That Cover Their Family Up To Whatever Age They Might Like. Gregory: “So you'd keep that as part of the federal plan?” Romney: “Oh, 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.” [Meet The Press, NBC, 9/9/12]

A ROMNEY AIDE SAID ROMNEY “WAS NOT PROPOSING A FEDERAL MANDATE TO REQUIRE INSURANCE PLANS TO OFFER THOSE FEATURES” – “THE MARKETPLACE WILL MAKE AVAILABLE PLANS”

A Romney Aide Clarified His Position On Coverages: “In A Competitive Environment, The Marketplace Will Make Available Plans That Include Coverage For What There Is Demand For. He Was Not Proposing A Federal Mandate To Require Insurance Plans To Offer Those Particular Features.” “In reference to how Romney would deal with those with preexisting conditions and young adults who want to remain on their parents’ plans, a Romney aide responded that there had been no change in Romney’s position and that ‘in a competitive environment, the marketplace will make available plans that include coverage for what there is demand for. He was not proposing a federal mandate to require insurance plans to offer those particular features.’” [National Review, 9/9/12]

A ROMNEY AIDE CLAIMED ROMNEY WOULD ENSURE THERE ISN’T DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE WHO MAINTAIN “CONTINUOUS COVERAGE”

Romney Aide: “Gov. Romney Will Ensure That Discrimination Against Individuals With Pre-Existing Conditions Who Maintain Continuous Coverage Is Prohibited.”  “After Mitt Romney said on NBC's ‘Meet the Press’ Sunday that there were certain parts of Obamacare that he liked, a campaign aide confirmed to BuzzFeed that one of the elements that a Romney health care overhaul would be a guarantee that people with pre-existing conditions can't get kicked off their health insurance plans. ‘Gov. Romney will ensure that discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage is prohibited,’ the aide said.” [Buzzfeed, 9/9/12]

“CONTINUOUS COVERAGE” WAS THE STANDARD BEFORE OBAMACARE – OBAMACARE STOPPED INSURANCE COMPANIES FROM DENYING PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF THEIR PRIOR INSURED STATUS

Romney’s “Continuous Coverage” Idea Is Different From Obamacare Which Stipulates That Anyone Can Gain Access To Health Coverage Regardless Of Their Prior Insured Status. “But continuous coverage isn’t so great for the individual who has spent sometime without insurance, perhaps because of difficult financial times. Continuous coverage won’t do much for you in that situation.That’s different from the health-care law, which stipulates that in 2014, anyone can gain access to health coverage regardless of his or her prior insured status. If Romney wanted to keep that kind of protection against pre-existing insurance in place — but without an individual mandate — insurance premiums would likely increase, as the sick people who planned to use their coverage disproportionately signed up. Continuous coverage is one way to address pre-existing conditions; Congress has already used it as a tool to limit group health plans that deny such coverage. But, with the many people it has the potential to leave out, it’s hard to see it as a full solution.” [Wonk Blog, Washington Post, 9/9/12]

“Romney’s Position – Protecting People With Pre-Existing Conditions So Long As They’ve Always Had Insurance – Has Been Law Since 1996, Experts Say.”  [ABC News, 6/14/12]

·         Romney’s Plans For People With Pre-Existing Conditions Not Address Those Who Have Never Had Private Health Insurance, Or Who Have Had Insurance But Spent Some Time Without, Often Because Of Financial Circumstances And Unemployment.  “Romney’s position – protecting people with pre-existing conditions so long as they’ve always had insurance – has been law since 1996, experts say.  It does not immediately address people who have never had private health insurance, or who have had insurance but spent some time without, often because of financial circumstances and unemployment.” [ABC News, 6/14/12]

·         Romney Says People With Preexisting Conditions Who Have Maintained Continuous Health Insurance Coverage Should Be Guaranteed The Ability To Retain Coverage But “We’ve Actually Had A Law Protecting People Who Maintain Continuous Coverage Since 1996. It Obviously Doesn’t Do Very Much.”  “Republicans have been trying not to just come out and admit that their plan is to let tens of millions of Americans go without health insurance, but their obfuscations are having less and less success. Mitch McConnell pretty much admitted it straight out to Ramesh Ponnuru. Mitt Romney has been dancing around it by promising that ‘individuals with preexisting conditions who have maintained continuous health insurance coverage should be guaranteed the ability to retain coverage.’ Note the proviso at the end about maintaining continuous coverage. We’ve actually had a law protecting people who maintain continuous coverage since 1996. It obviously doesn’t do very much.” [New York Magazine, 3/28/12]

ROMNEY WOULD GO BACK TO ALLOWING INSURANCE COMPANIES TO DENY COVERAGE TO PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS

Romney’s Idea Of “Continuous Coverage” Works For Those Continue To Purchase Insurance Each Month “But Continuous Coverage Isn’t So Great For The Individual Who Has Spent Some Time Without Insurance, Perhaps Because Of Difficult Financial Times. Continuous Coverage Won’t Do Much For You In That Situation.”  “The idea of ‘continuous coverage’ is pretty much what it sounds like: Under the scheme [Romney Spokeswoman Andrea] Saul laid out earlier, an individual who kept buying insurance month after month could not be turned away by an insurance company… But continuous coverage isn’t so great for the individual who has spent sometime without insurance, perhaps because of difficult financial times. Continuous coverage won’t do much for you in that situation.” [Wonk Blog, Washington Post, 9/9/12]

New York Daily News Headline: “Mitt Romney: Insurance Companies Should Be Allowed To Deny Coverage For Pre-Existing Conditions.”[New York Daily News, 6/14/12]

Huffington Post Headline: “Mitt Romney's Health Care Plan Would Not Prohibit Discrimination Based On Pre-Existing Conditions.” [Sam Stein, Huffington Post, 6/13/12]

·         “In A Follow-Up Statement To The Huffington Post, His Campaign Clarified That He Would Not Tackle One Of The Central Issues Contained In The Affordable Care Act—The Prohibition Of Discrimination Against People With Pre-Existing Conditions.” “In a follow-up statement to The Huffington Post, his campaign clarified that he would not tackle one of the central issues contained in the Affordable Care Act—the prohibition of discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. The approach Romney described centers around proposals to return much of the decision-making to the states while allowing for greater portability of coverage. He has long disavowed federalizing the individual mandate that he passed while governor of Massachusetts, which requires the uninsured to purchase coverage or face a penalty. And so attention has turned to the most closely related provision, a ban on discriminating against individuals with pre-existing conditions.” [Sam Stein, Huffington Post, 6/13/12]

·         Huffington Post: “The [Saul] Statement Confirms That Under A Romney Presidency, There Would Be No Federal Prohibition Barring Health Insurers From Discriminating Against Pre-Existing Conditions.” “The statement confirms that under a Romney presidency, there would be no federal prohibition barring health insurers from discriminating against pre-existing conditions. Instead, his administration would push reforms that help eat away at the problem. It would allow ‘reinsurance,’ in which insurance companies pool resources for a joint plan to cover high-risk patients (essentially an insurance policy for health insurers); provide block grants of Medicaid dollars to the states while giving them flexibility to cover their uninsured population; and encourage the creation of high-risk pools. The Romney campaign believes that while a combination of these reforms won’t eliminate the problem of people entering the health insurance market with a pre-existing condition and encountering discrimination, it will decrease it.” [Huffington Post, 6/13/12]