Tag Archives: Mitt Romney

Could President Romney repeal Obamacare? No.

Posted on by

 Mitt Romney’s web site makes a bold promise: “On his first day in office, Mitt Romney will issue an executive order that paves the way for the federal government to issue Obamacare waivers to all 50 states. He will then work with Congress to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible.”

Many of Romney’s supporters assume that this is what will happen if he wins. But in truth, even if Republicans take both the White House and the Senate, Romney wouldn’t have the power to “repeal the full legislation.” Nor could a new president grant waivers that would let states ignore the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We live in a nation ruled by law, not magic wands.

That said, those who support reform should keep a close eye on the Massachusetts Senate race, where Democrat Elizabeth Warren is challenging Republican Senator Scott Brown. The outcome could determine whether Democrats continue to hold 53 seats out of 100. (Political analysts rate Brown and Nevada’s Dean Heller as the two most vulnerable Senate Republican incumbents. If Republicans win the Senate, they won’t be able dismantle reform, but they could do serious damage to the ACA, by eliminating the subsidies that will help middle-class and low-income Americans purchase insurance. But even if they take over the Senate they will not be able to change the new rules for insurance companies.

                                    Romney’s Promises – and Why You Can’t Believe them

Begin with the “Obamacare waivers” for the states.

“There are no ‘Obamacare waivers’ that could be issued by executive order,” Washington & Lee health law scholar Timothy Jost explained in a recent phone interview. That’s right: these waivers simply don’t exist. Here, we’re tripping over one of those “Big Lies” that have become a feature of the Romney campaign. (Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels was the master of the tactic: if you tell a colossal lie, and repeat it often enough, people will believe it, not matter how outrageous. After all, who would make up such a whopper?)

On the HealthAffairs Blog, Jost elaborates :

You will find the rest of this post on HealthInsurance.org If you like, you can return here to comment.

2 COMMENTS SO FAR -- ADD ONE

Why Market Competition Will Not Lower the Cost of Health Insurance

Posted on by

 “Competition drives improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, offering consumers higher quality goods and services at lower cost. It can have the same effect in the health care system, if given the chance to work.”– Mitt Romney

Creating “robust competition” is at the core of Mitt Romney’s approach to Health Care Reform. He would be right–if health care were commodity like any other.  In many industries when more sellers compete for customers, prices come down. Think of thin-screen TVs.  But the healthcare market is not like other markets, as a great many health care economists have explained.

When it comes to medical care, the consumer does not have the leverage that he enjoys in other markets because there is too much uncertainty about a) what he needs, and b) the value of what is, in the end, a very complicated product.

First, consider his needs: Should he purchase an expensive, comprehensive policy with no caps on annual or lifetime payouts? If he has a big family, he knows he needs a big car. But he has no way of knowing whether he, his spouse or one of his children will develop cancer, MS., Alzheimer’s or be in an accident that leaves one of them paralyzed for life. So there is no way that a savvy consumer can bring down insurance prices by shopping for the “least expensive policy that fits his needs.”

Continue reading →

17 COMMENTS SO FAR -- ADD ONE

What if the Court rules that insurers don’t have to cover people suffering from pre-existing conditions?

Posted on by

The following post originally appeared on the null.com blog.

In March, Ethan Fidler, a 10-year-old from England who had just had a tumor removed from his brain flew to Florida where doctors at the University of Florida used proton therapy to blast lingering cancer cells. (While proton therapy is widely available in Western Europe, the UK government has only recently approved funding the technology. Ethan couldn’t wait.)

Continue reading →

2 COMMENTS SO FAR -- ADD ONE