Romney’s Approach to U.S. Health Reform

Mitt Romney has continuously received criticism on his position related to healthcare reform. Many believe the plan he instituted as governor of Massachusetts is similar to ObamaCare and others say his ideas on national health reform are more “revolutionary” than President Obama’s. Recently, Romney has released some of the main points of his plans should he be elected into office. These include block grants for Medicaid and other payments to states, the privatization of Medicare, and the promotion of free markets and competition within the health insurance industry.

An article in the LA Times discusses what some experts believe could result from these changes. Some argue that Romney’s plan would incentivize employers to stop providing coverage to their employees, resulting in an increase in the number of uninsured Americans. Conservative experts state the plan will bring benefits of competition to healthcare and would give consumers more power to choose their plans for themselves. Also, although Romney has said that President Obama’s legislation is a “budget-busting entitlement” as referred to in a Huffington Post article, some say his current ideas could similarly swell the federal deficit. Finally, some have stated Romney’s plan for national healthcare reform is contradictory to what he instituted in Massachusetts.

Regardless of whether you support RomneyCare or ObamaCare, it is clear that the healthcare industry will need to prepare for some serious adjustments resulting from governmental action. The continuing news about rising costs and questions over the sustainability of government programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and legislative reform is evidence of this. It is highly unlikely that anyone will devise a plan that pleases everyone when it comes to healthcare, but it will be interesting to see how this year’s election unfolds and what changes in regards to health reform will actually be instituted.

 

Author: Jamie Notaro

Editor: Ken Chiang

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