Nine Basic Differences Between RomneyCare and ObamaCare by Matt Moody, Ph.D.

 

A link to Dr. Moody’s original articles appears below. It is very detailed and provides indepth arguments. We urge everyone to read it, and this is just a brief synopsis. Although the Massachusetts Healthcare Law is nicknamed “RomneyCare,” to be fair to Mitt Romney, the law was not shaped entirely according to his recommendations. For example, Governor Romney vetoed eight portions of RomneyCare to include an Employer Mandate, which were eventually all overridden by the a Democrat-dominant State Legislature. Also, from the day it was established in 2006, what has become of mandatory healthcare in Massachusetts is a function of what the present Governor and Legislature have made of it.

Nine Differences Between ObamaCare and RomneyCare

• 1) The bill called “ObamaCare” is 2070 pages long, and RomneyCare was only 70 pages in 2006. So there are 2,000 more pages of differences between ObamaCare and RomneyCare.
• 2) RomneyCare was uniquely designed for Massachusetts, but ObamaCare is a one-size-fits-all mandate imposed upon all states, regardless of each state’s needs and economic conditions.
• 3) ObamaCare expands the size and power of federal government beyond the “few and defined” powers delegated by the Constitution, thus diminishing State powers; in comparison, RomneyCare invokes “numerous and indefinite” powers to mandate that citizens be insured, thus preventing some from “gaming the system” — where free-riders were formerly getting government to pay for medical bills when they could afford to buy insurance in the first place.
• 4) One Trillion dollars is needed to fund ObamaCare — 500 Billion in higher taxes and 500 Billion borrowed from Medicare. In contrast, taxes were not increased to fund RomneyCare, nor were funds borrowed from Medicare.
• 5) RomneyCare was enacted only after Mitt Romney balanced the state budget; whereas, ObamaCare was enacted during a time when Barack Obama and a Democrat-dominant Congress didn’t even try to balance a budget and didn’t even propose a budget, but engaged in massive federal spending, unprecedented in the history of the United States.
• 6) RomneyCare is constitutional by virtue of the “numerous and indefinite” powers reserved to the States via the 10th Amendment to the Constitution; ObamaCare is unconstitutional because it overreaches the limited federal powers enumerated in Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution.
• 7) In a June 2011 GOP Presidential Debate sponsored by CNN, Mitt Romney said that “if people don’t like it in our state, they can change it.”  In contrast, Barack Obama has consistently resisted the repeal of his healthcare bill, even when the majority of Americans want to repeal ObamaCare.
• 8) Mitt Romney passed Massachusetts Healthcare with bipartisan input and support; in comparison, Barack Obama imposed ObamaCare upon Fifty States using a partisan approach that largely excluded input from Republican Senators and Congressmen — andcontinues to exclude input from “We the People.”
• 9) While the majority of Americans don’t want Obama-Care, the majority of citizens in Massachusetts support RomneyCare. According to a 2011 survey by Harvard School of Public Health and The Boston Globe, 63% of Massachusetts residents support the 2006 health law, while 21% say they oppose it.

The orignal article is at: http://www.calldrmatt.com/Differences_Between_RomneyCare_and_ObamaCare.htm   It should also be remembered that:

• Obamacare was unilateral.  Romneycare was bipartisan.
• Obamacare = government insurance.  Romneycare = private insurance.
• Obamacare = Costs $2 trillion over 10 years.  Romneycare = Funded within the existing MA budget.
• Obamacare requires all businesses to issue an IRS Form 1099 whenever goods or services in excess of $600 are purchased.  Romneycare had no such provision.
• Obamacare cut Medicare Advantage by $150 billion, forcing dozens of Medicare Advantage coverage providers to cut back vision, dental and prescription benefits.  Romneycare did not.
• Obamacare required a 30% payment cut for Medicare reimbursements to doctors.  Romneycare did not.
• Obamacare cut  Medicare spending by $400 billion.  Romneycare did not.
• Obamacare tax penalty for employers = $2000 per employee.   Romneycare tax penalty for employers = $249 per employee. (a penalty which Gov. Romney opposed and vetoed, but his veto was overridden.)

The GOP and HIV/AIDS Funding

 

 

Over 70 million people have been infected with HIV-AIDS, but only one has been cured. Thanks in large part to the generosity of the United States, over 8 million people world wide are now on life saving antiretroviral therapy.
1.7 million people died of an AIDS related illness last year. The International AIDS Society Conference is in Washington this week for the first time in 22 years, and Laura Bush will be speaking to the gathering.
AIDS prevention is a major focus for rockstar Elton John. He says the president who did the most for AIDS victims was George W. Bush: “He was an amazingly informed about AIDS. I had so much respect for him, especially when the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was announced when he gave $15 billion to AIDS.
“He knew what he was talking about. One of the old adages in life is never judge someone until you meet them. I didn’t like his policies but I have to say when I met him, I found him well informed and determined to do something about the AIDS situation so I changed my opinion of him. I learned a lesson.”
The Bush initiative was largest amount of funding by any nation to fight a single disease. The major issue facing prevention efforts today is not a lack of technology or funding, but the social stigma associated with HIV, which deters individuals from accessing both education and treatment programs.
Bush was well known for his Freedom Agenda and says “One aspect of freedom is for people to be free from disease.” He has made three trips to Africa since leaving office.

Pam Bondi: 2011 Winner — The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

Pam Bondi

Pam Bondi of Tampa is Florida’s first female Attorney General. She previously served 18 years as a front-line prosecutor in the State Attorney’s Office.
Prior to her 2010 election, she was best known for winning the first-degree murder conviction of Melvin Givens for the stabbing death of local NBC-News Producer Danielle Cipriani.
Bondi regularly traveled to Tallahassee to oppose the parole of convicted murderers and rapists.
She is now the lead Attorney General in the 26-state constitutional challenge to the government health care takeover which is pending before the Supreme Court. The case of Florida et al v. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services argues that the individual mandate provision of Obamacare violates the Constitution.
Bondi says “There is no case, anywhere close to being on point that says the federal government can do this to us. If the federal government can force us to purchase a product, simply by being alive — simply by sitting here — there’s no limit to what they can do. So this is very, very important. And it’s so much bigger than healthcare.
“Should Obamacare not be struck down by the court, it would bankrupt Florida. Now that these actuaries are coming out, it’s costing trillions of dollars, trillions more than anticipated, which is outrageous. We all know we need healthcare reform in our country, but this is not the way to do it.”
Bondi never sought elective office before 2010. She defeated Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp in the GOP primary and received a major boost with an endorsement by Sarah Palin.
You can read more about the contest rules and background at: The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

How Has The United States Senate Changed Since the 19th Century

Henry Clay is depicted speaking to the Senate about the Compromise of 1850. This lithograph shows: 1. Henry Clay (W-KY), 2. Daniel Webster (W-MA), 3. Thomas Hart Benton (D-MO), 4. Lewis Cass (D-MI), 5. William Seward (W-NY), 6. Vice President Millard Fillmore (W-NY), 7. William Dayton (W-NJ), 8. William M. Gwin (D-CA), 9. John C. Calhoun (D-SC), 10. James A. Pearce (W-MD), 11. Robert F. Stockton (D-NJ), 12. Henry S. Foote (D-MS), 13. Stephen A. Douglas (D-IL), 14. Pierre Soule (D-LA), 15. Truman Smith (W-CT), 16. Salmon P. Chase (F-OH), 17. William R. King (D-AL), 18. John Bell (W-TN), 19. James Mason (D-VA), 20. James Cooper (W-PA), 21. Willie Mangum (W-NC), 22. Sam Houston (D-TX). W = Whig, F= Free Soil.

Since 1789 there have been 1,910 Americans who have served as United States Senators. The average length of service is 12.82 years, which is about two terms. In the 19th century many Senators were unable to serve a full six year term, and only a small number of lawmakers were re-elected.

40% of U.S. Parents: Stop The Nonsense, Get Your Child Immunized

The most visible opponent of childhood immunization is celebrity Jenny McCarthy. She has written two books on the subject and told Oprah Winfrey vaccines are not safe. The response from the American Academy of Pediatrics was: "There's no valid scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism, but because of unfounded fears, the U.S. is suffering its biggest measles outbreak in a decade."

The relationship between autism and vaccines has been a major issue for the past 12 years. Actress Jenny McCarthy and politicians such as Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) have tragically convinced thousands of parents not get their children vaccinated. The link is completely untrue, and many of the leading people who perpetuated this myth were cruel profit seekers. The parents of over 5,000 autistic kids are now requesting compensation for vaccine injury. Of more importance, childhood diseases almost unknown in the U.S. have come back and children have needlessly died.

Ron Paul and the The Dangers of the Anti-Vaccine Movement

Ron Paul and his anti-vaccine supporters are wrong. Vaccinations save millions of lives every year. People no longer die of cholera, smallpox, scarlet fever, and dozens of other diseases which were once endemic to the United States. Your child should be immunized. A very small number of people have had adverse reactions, but there is no reason to stop these programs.

The Outlook for ObamaCare

Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the new Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, today said ObamaCare will be repealed by the House before the State of the Union Address. Upton said the real surprise will be the number of Democrats voting for repeal. Upton is predicting a two-thirds veto-proof majority. A veto proof (67 votes) majority does not exist in the Senate.

The Final Days of Speaker Pelosi and the Obamacrats of Capitol Hill

With one month to go before the election, prospects for Republican control of the House of Representatives are excellent. Media attention is focused on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her ouster will result in many additional benefits for the conservative movement. When the GOP gains control a top target for the new Speaker will be the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Was Defeated The Day Obama Was Elected

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) has been running behind in her re-election campaign all year. No one expects her to be re-elected, but in a poll out today she is losing by an astronomical 65% to 27% margin. Lincoln has not committed any crime and she is not among the top Senate liberals. She has not made any serious errors, but organized labor and liberal activist groups spent over $10 million on a primary campaign to defeat her.
The message from Arkansas is that Blanche Lincoln was defeated on the day Barack Obama was elected. The President is radioactive in Arkansas and his approval rating is now at a dismal 31%. The GOP now has one Congressional seat but they are expected to capture 75% of the House delegation in November. Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) is more liberal than Lincoln and he is very pleased that he does not have to face the electorate until 2014.
Lincoln inflicted a major wound on herself the day she became the deciding vote on ObamaCare. If she voted no, it meant risking defeat in a primary, but by voting yes she sealed her doom in the general election. Prior to the health care vote she was considered a competent centrist. Once she voted for ObamaCare the tide turned swiftly and devastatingly against her.

Obama's Broken Promises: The Message From Iowa

President Barack Obama is expected to sign the health care reform legislation tomorrow and he will return to Iowa City on Thursday. It will be his first trip outside of the nation’s capital since the House of Representatives narrowly passed the bill on Sunday evening.
The President will discuss health care at the University of Iowa and in the city where he first unveiled his medical plans three years ago. Iowa City was then a bastion of Obama support but that has changed dramatically. The President’s approval has slipped steadily in Iowa since he carried the state in 2008 and after winning its leadoff Democratic nominating caucuses that year. According to the Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll, only 33% approve of his health care plans while 58% disapprove.
A study released Monday indicates the bill is highly unpopular with the very professionals which will be asked to treat an expanded pool of insured Americans. Seventy-one percent of U.S. physicians said they had an unfavorable opinion of the administration’s plan. The poll of 1,217 physicians was conducted by HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. Of those who had a negative view of the President’s plan, 80% said the new law would have made them less likely to enter the medical field.
A major reason why American’s have soured on the President can be seen in Iowa. The significant theme in the 2008 Obama campaign was to bring the nation together, and to govern in “a post partisan manner.” That has never happened, and not one Republican in the House or Senate voted for the health care bill. All of the GOP reform proposals were rejected, and it is now clear Obama is one of our most partisan presidents.
Obama has constantly been in the national spotlight since he won the Iowa precinct caucuses on January 3, 2008. His address that evening in Des Moines emphasizes his subsequent failure to cross party lines and to move forward in a bipartisan manner. In claiming his Iowa victory, Obama said:

You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that’s consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that’s been all about division and instead make it about addition – to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. . . We are choosing hope over fear. We’re choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.
I’ll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois – by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done.
This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. . . . We are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again.

Barack Obama entered the White House with an enormous reservoir of political and public support. His honeymoon with the American public was greater than any incoming president in the past three decades. He had better numbers, and they were usually by double digits, than Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan or either George Bush on every item traditionally measured in transition polls.
President-elect Obama told CBS’s Steve Croft about his ability to bridge differences and bring people together. He said he wanted to rally Americans to a common cause. To date, the only groups Obama united are the Republican Party and his political opponents. The President is now returning to Iowa but the message of his 2008 campaign has been forgotten.