On Tuesday, June 12, 2012, Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and the Republican nominee for President, discussed health care policies that he would implement as President in a speech in Orlando, Florida. These policies would replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which Governor Romney anticipates will be invalidated by the Supreme Court or rendered ineffective on the first day of his presidency through an executive order and legislative repeal.
Governor Romney’s plan emphasizes making the health care insurance system more like a “consumer market” and less like a “government-managed utility.” This would include the conversion of Medicaid and other federal health care programs into block grants given to state governments, which would bear the responsibility for covering the uninsured, and extending the tax exemption for health insurance premiums to individual purchasers. Governor Romney promised that states’ Medicaid grants would increase every year, but would be capped at inflation plus 1 percent. Governor Romney would also allow states to govern their own insurance markets and limit federal requirements for Medicaid coverage. His plan also addresses one of PPACA’s most popular provisions, the prohibition of discrimination against those with pre-existing conditions. Governor Romney proposed to continue this prohibition as it applies to those individuals who maintain continuous coverage, and to make high-risk pools more accessible and less costly for those who have a gap in coverage.
Other policies set forth in Governor Romney’s health care plan include:
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Capping non-economic damages in medical malpractice litigation;
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Allowing consumers to purchase individual insurance across state lines and to form purchasing pools to negotiate with insurers;
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Allowing funds deposited in Health Savings Accounts to be used for insurance premiums; and
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Encouraging alternatives to fee-for-service reimbursement.
The Romney health care plan is available on the campaign website, accessible by clicking here.
Reporter, Adam Laughton, Houston, +1 713 276 7400, alaughton@kslaw.com.
