On campaign trail, Santorum bashes Romney on health care

Mitt Romney's Medicare plan is dissected by the Boston Globe and neither he nor the president are talking up their health reform plans.

The Associated Press: Obama, Romney Talk Little About Health Care Laws
Now here's a tag team for the ages: Richard Nixon, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama. The arc of history joins all three in the cause of universal health care, a goal promoted by Nixon four decades ago and advanced in laws enacted by Romney and Obama in turn. So where are the high fives between the president and the former Massachusetts governor? The most significant health care law since Medicare gets barely a shout-out from Obama. And when Romney must talk about the law he won in Massachusetts, it's because someone's got him on the defensive (Woodward, 3/20).

Boston Globe: As Illinois Votes, Mitt Romney Focuses On Obama
[Rick] Santorum, before visiting the birthplace of President Reagan, continued to make the case that health care would be the driving force against Obama. Standing in front of a statue of Reagan in Dixon, the late president's childhood home, Santorum said Romney was in no position to take on Obama over the federal health care law (Viser, 3/20).

The Washington Post: Romney, Santorum Each Claim Conservative Mantle Before Illinois Primary
[Santorum] attacked Romney for enacting a health-care law in Massachusetts that included a mandate that everyone purchase insurance or pay a penalty. Calling repeal of Obama's health-care law the No. 1 issue of the campaign, Santorum said: "Why would the Republican Party nominate someone on the most important issue of the day -; freedom, Reagan's freedom -; why would we take that off the table?" (Rucker and Balz, 3/19).

Chicago Tribune: Romney, Santorum Make Final Push For Illinois Republican Votes
Santorum used his father's story of working his way up the economic ladder in America through hard work to mount a criticism he commonly makes of President Barack Obama: that Obama's federal health care plan is emblematic of the president's attempt to move the country away from personal liberty. ... "With Obamacare, we have a bill that will deny (liberty)," he added (Byrne and Groeninger, 3/19).

CBS (Video): Santorum's Health Care Overhaul
Santorum has vowed to repeal the national health care law President Obama signed two years ago and replace it with a major overhaul centered on what he refers to as health savings accounts (Reynolds, 3/19).

Boston Globe: Romney's Medicare Plan Could Create Gap For Seniors
Romney's plan to repeal President Obama's health reform law would strip 65- and 66-year-olds of that law's assurance that insurers would have to cover them even if they have preexisting conditions, as many elders do. The two policies -- simultaneously raising the Medicare eligibility age while removing a new safety net for ailing individuals to obtain affordable health insurance -- would result in many more uninsured seniors because they could not afford -- or even obtain -- coverage, according to many health care analysts and studies about the issue (Jan, 3/20).

National Journal: College Students Pointedly Question Romney On Social Issues
Another questioner brought up Romney's plan to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood. She asked Romney where he might suggest "millions of women go" without the organization offering reproductive and sexual health care. "Well, they can go wherever they'd like to go," Romney told her. "This is a free society. But here's what I'd say, which is the federal government should not tax these people to pay for Planned Parenthood.… The idea of the federal government funding Planned Parenthood, I'm going to say no, we're going to stop that" (Boxer, 3/19).

The Associated Press: Romney Faces Tough Questions On Women's Issues
Romney says people should vote "for the other guy" if they want "free stuff" like female contraception. ... [Romney says] that the government shouldn't send tax dollars to Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions (Peoples, 3/19).