Would Mitt Romney preserve parts of ObamaCare?

After vowing during the primaries to repeal ObamaCare, Romney is in trouble with conservatives this week for suggesting that he actually likes parts of the law

"I'm not getting rid of all of health-care reform," Mitt Romney said on Meet the Press. "There are a number of things that I like in health-care reform that I'm going to put in place."
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Mitt Romney, who passed a health-care reform package in Massachusetts that helped inspire national Democrats' own health-care overhaul, has repeatedly vowed to conservatives that he will repeal ObamaCare if he's elected president. So on Sunday, when Romney said on Meet the Press that he would keep some elements of President Obama's health-care overhaul, it caused quite a stir. "I'm not getting rid of all of health-care reform," Romney said. "There are a number of things that I like in health-care reform that I'm going to put in place." Among those things: Allowing young adults to stay on their parents' plans, and guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Shortly after the interview, a Romney campaign spokesman quickly explained that Romney was merely reiterating his intention to replace Obama's law with his own plan, and that Romney would actually only guarantee coverage to people with pre-existing conditions who have maintained continuous coverage. What should we make of Romney's position on ObamaCare?

Romney is not flip-flopping: Romney isn't backing away from his promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare, says Yuval Levin at National Review. He has always sought to protect people with pre-existing conditions. By focusing on those who have kept themselves covered, he's hoping to create "a powerful incentive for the young and healthy to obtain insurance," instead of doing it with a mandate. Political reporters are only treating this as "earth-shattering news" because they haven't bothered to learn what Romney's plan actually is.

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