It’s a little dizzying watching the Republican presidential debates. And no more so than watching Mitt Romney talk about his biggest achievement in Massachusetts, health reform.
Of course there are some differences in the details–as would be expected when a state does something, versus the federal government. But the framework is pretty similar. And understanding the similarities totally undermines the overheated rhetoric by many Republican officeholders about how the federal law is an abomination and must be repealed.
Families USA released an analysis this week comparing the Massachussetts reform with the Affordable Care Act.
It is a reminder that the Affordable Care Act was a bipartisan framework for dealing with health care reform, before Republicans opposed reform for purely political reasons.
Governor Romney can’t even talk about his law in Massachussetts without mirroring the rhetoric of Affordable Care Act defenders, including President Obama. See this as well: