Romney uses speech to take on his political vulnerability: Health reform

Mitt Romney, GOP presidential hopeful, delivered a speech today detailing what was right about the Massachusetts health reform plan that became law while he was governor, what is wrong with the federal health law that was enacted last year and what he would do to bring change to the health system. He spoke at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

The Associated Press: "Mitt Romney says last year's Democratic-passed health care law is a federal government takeover of health delivery. But he says his somewhat similar Massachusetts law was right for his state. ... Romney said his program was a state solution to a state problem. He said the Obama-backed law is a power-grab by the federal government to impose a one-size-fits-all plan on all 50 states" (Elliott, 5/12).

The New York Times: He "provided what he said were contrasts between the Massachusetts law, which he defended, and the one Mr. Obama signed into law, which he criticized as federal overreach. ... Mr. Romney defended his decision to insist on a mandate that all citizens buy insurance or face penalties as ensuring that they take personal responsibility for the costs of their own care rather than passing it on to taxpayers by showing up at emergency rooms that have to treat them by law. ... And he refused to apologize for his backing of the Massachusetts law, acknowledging the potential benefits to him of repudiating the law but adding, 'There's only one problem with that — it wouldn't be honest.' He added, 'I did what I thought would be right for the people of my state' (Rutenberg, 5/12).

MSNBC First Read: "In a much-publicized address on his proposals to fix the nation's health care system, ... Romney again defended the health insurance plan he signed into state law in 2006, calling it a 'more modest proposal" than the federal overhaul of insurance backed by President Barack Obama and reviled by Republicans.' ... Going forward, he advocates that states - as Massachusetts did - create their own health care solutions free of federal direction. ... His support for the mandate in Massachusetts is a highly conspicuous hurdle for the 2012 contender in his race for the GOP nomination" (Dann, 5/12).

The Washington Post's The Fix: He "used a speech on health care today in Michigan to send a broader message about his commitment to authenticity in the 2012 presidential race. Speaking to a small group of invited guests and reporters at the University of Michigan this afternoon, Romney, as expected, refused to apologize for signing a health care law in Massachusetts that has drawn unfavorable comparisons among Republicans to the national law put in place by President Obama" (Cilizza, 5/12).

Bloomberg:The likely Republican candidate "sought to defuse one of his biggest political liabilities with a speech on health care that tried to draw distinctions between a plan he supported and one pushed into federal law by President Barack Obama. ... Romney criticized the federal law for creating a "massive" bureaucracy, which he said the Massachusetts law didn't. He also called for giving states the responsibility and resources to care for the poor, uninsured and chronically ill, a tax deduction to those who buy their own health insurance, and reductions in the influence of lawsuits on medical care and costs (McCormick, 5/12).

Politico: He "offered no apologies and instead delivered a full-throated defense of his Massachusetts health care plan. ... Drawing distinctions between the plan he signed as governor of Massachusetts — which now stands as a serious obstacle to his prospective 2012 presidential candidacy — and President Obama's sweeping national overhaul, Romney argued that the 'administration fundamentally does not believe in the American experiment'" (Hunt, 5/12).

Politico, in a separate story: "Mitt Romney's campaign shared two pages of talking points with allies Thursday before confronting health care, but as with the former Massachusetts governor's speech, the document focused more on his new plan and how it differs with the federal health care law than on revisiting his Massachusetts plan. ... Much of the document outlines the basics of the plan ... but under the 'Top Line Message Points' there is one more reminder of how Romney hopes to explain the plan he pushed into law and that's now causing him so much political difficulty. 'Gov. Romney believes that states should be free to pursue their own healthcare solutions; there should not be a federal one-size-fits-all plan'"(Martin, 5/12).  

Scene-setting coverage just before the speech:

Politico: "In a span of just a few hours and in the lead up to Romney's health speech, the point has been made by everyone from The Wall Street Journal editorial page and Cato Institute to the Center for American Progress. ... Presidential contender Mitt Romney will use Thursday's speech in Michigan to lay out a new platform on health reform, one that centers on widespread Republican health policy ideas like increasing the availability of Health Savings Accounts and reforming medical liability. ...
Those proposals have gotten some attention. ... But even [the Cato Institute's Michael] Cannon dismissed Romney's platform as "Republican boilerplate" (Kliff, 5/12). 

The Boston Globe's Political Intelligence Blog: "The topic: health care. The concern: It could undermine Mitt Romney's run for president. A key critic: The Wall Street Journal. The response: A speech and a PowerPoint presentation. That was the tack the former Massachusetts governor took today as he tried to address a key vulnerability in his expected presidential campaign. But it's also the exact tack Romney took in 2006, while he still was governor, as he geared up for his first White House campaign." This Globe blog reprints a Wall Street Journal story about the 2006 speech (Viser, 5/12).  

Los Angeles Times: "Romney's remarks ... are an attempt to get beyond criticism of 'Romneycare,' ... That plan is considered the prototype for President Obama's healthcare overhaul, which is despised by Republicans. What would qualify as real news would be an unadulterated apology, a mea culpa, for his role in providing a model for what critics label 'Obamacare.' But Romney aides have said that won't happen, and nonaligned strategists have said it's probably too late for that, anyway. ... Instead, Romney will try to pivot to the future, talking about his vision for national healthcare, a sidestep away from his 'Massachusetts miracle' (West, 5/12).

Kaiser Health News also tracked the advance reports of Romney's speech, which appeared earlier today and yesterday, May 11.