GOP candidates bicker but all denounce health law

The subject of the health law - and its insurance provision - came up early in the GOP debate at the Reagan library.

Politico: The Individual Mandate
About 20 minutes into the debate come the questions about Mitt Romney's health care plan in Massachusetts, against which he defends his record and pivots to Obamacare. He says he would repeal it (Haberman, 9/7).

National Journal: Live Blog: Perry Debuts on Presidential Debate Stage at Reagan Library
8:23 p.m. Weighing in on health care, Huntsman invokes Bachmann's favorite talking point-;repealing 'Obamacare'-;while attacking Perry and Romney in one fell swoop. As governor of Utah, he says, "we did better than Rick [Perry] in terms of covering the uninsured and we don't have a mandate." ...   Perry blames unwieldy federal regulations for the large number of residents in his states without health insurance" (Boerma and Khan, 9/7). 

CBS News: Mitt Romney, Rick Perry Spar Early At GOP Debate
Perry took [a shot] at Romney ... over the health care law Romney signed in Massachusetts. "It was a great opportunity for us to see what will not work, which is an individual mandate in this country," he said (Montopoli, 9/7).

Politico: Reagan Debate: GOP 2012 Rivals Come Out Swinging
Perry struggled to defend his own record in Texas, which ranks last in the country in the percentage of citizens uninsured. In his response to Perry, Romney described the Massachusetts law as a measure that was necessary to expand coverage and crack down on free riders in the state health care system. He also pledged to start stripping back the Affordable Care Act – signed by President Barack Obama – on his first day in office (Burns, 9/7).

The Associated Press: Romney, Perry Spar Over Jobs, Social Security
None of the GOP contenders had anything positive to say about Obama, either his record on creating jobs or the health care law they have vowed to repeal if they win the White House. Bachmann said she would provide the "strong, bold leader in the presidency who will lead that effort. None of us should ever think that the repeal bill will just come to our desk," she said (Hunt, 9/7).

The New York Times: Live Blog: Perry Makes His Debate Debut
In her critique of President Obama's health care law, Representative Michele Bachmann said that the measure was eliminating jobs, citing a study from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. But the claim ... significantly overstates the conclusions of the C.B.O., which said that the law would have a "small" impact on the overall labor force because it might cause some workers to reduce their hours or retire earlier (Shear, 9/7).