Romney defends Mass. mandate; Gingrich once supported that plan

The Hill: Romney Describes Health Mandate As Conservative Principle
GOP presidentical candidate Mitt Romney said the insurance mandate included in the Massachusetts healthcare law he signed is fundamentally a conservative principle. Speaking Wednesday on Fox and Friends, Romney defended his healthcare law, which includes a version of the individual mandate, as inline with the Republican world view. ... "What we did was right for the people of Massachusetts, the plan is still favored there by three to one, and it is fundamentally a conservative principle to insist that people take personal responsibility as opposed to turning to government for giving out free care" (Easley, 12/28).

The Wall Street Journal: Gingrich Applauded Romney's Health Plan
Newt Gingrich voiced enthusiasm for Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health-care law when it was passed five years ago, the same plan he has been denouncing over the past few months as he campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination. "The health bill that Governor Romney signed into law this month has tremendous potential to effect major change in the American health system," said an April 2006 newsletter published by Mr. Gingrich's former consulting company, the Center for Health Transformation (Mullins and Adamy, 12/27). 

Los Angeles Times: Gingrich Under Fire For Shifting Views On Healthcare Mandate
As a Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich has routinely criticized rival Mitt Romney for enacting a 2006 healthcare bill in Massachusetts that required citizens to carry health insurance. But a video and newsletter unearthed Tuesday show that Gingrich, as a private citizen, was a strong backer of the so-called individual mandate (Geiger, 12/27).