Fact-checking Romney's debate performance

CNN examines comments made by GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney regarding the possible dollar savings that could result by repealing the health law, while the AP revisits his positions regarding the Massachusetts health law he signed while that state's governor. Also in the news, more on Rick Perry's Texas and where the candidates state on health research.   

CNN: Romney: Repealing Health Plan Will Save Billions
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney targeted the Affordable Care Act during Saturday's Republican candidates' debate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, saying a repeal would save billions of dollars. The statement: "A lot of programs we like but we simply can't afford. The first one we'll eliminate, however, we're happy to get rid of. That's Obama care. And that'll save us $95 billion by my fourth year," Romney said. The facts: Repeal of the Affordable Care Act, referred to by some critics as Obama care, would indeed cut federal spending by about $95 billion in 2016, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the non-partisan research arm of Congress. But such a repeal would result in a much smaller reduction of the budget in 2016 if you factor in the fact that the law also cuts spending on Medicare and raises taxes -- changes that would also be nixed by a repeal of the act (Watkins, 11/13).

The Associated Press: Romney's Political Shifts Stir Criticism
With Romney's positions evolving on everything from abortion to gay rights, embryonic stem cell research to health care, the Republican presidential candidate has faced charges of political opportunism from Republicans and Democrats alike. ... Of all his past and present positions that Romney has tried to square, the most public has been his decision to sign Massachusetts' 2006 landmark health care overhaul -; a sweeping law that provided a blueprint for Obama's health care law, the same law Romney has vowed to dismantle (LeBlanc, 11/12).

The Associated Press/Boston Globe: Spin Meter: Perry Decries, Chases Gov't Spending
Rick Perry, who bashes federal spending everywhere he goes on the presidential campaign trail, has spent 11 years as Texas' governor asking Washington for money. ... The governor also endorsed his state's request for money under President Barack Obama's new health care law, though he now promises to help repeal the measure should he win the White House (Weissert, 11/14).

CQ HealthBeat: Presidential Candidates' Survey Aims To Spotlight Health Research
Research!America is asking the 2012 presidential candidates to answer a questionnaire in an effort to generate a national conversation on the future of federal health research funding, the group announced Friday. "We've been struck by how little attention has been paid" in the presidential debates to the role of research, Research!America President Mary Woolley said. Research and development should be included in discussions around economic growth since they bolster job creation and international competitiveness, Woolley added (Bristol, 11/11).