43. Romneycare Update

43.  Romneycare Update

 

Commonwealth Care in Massachusetts, also called “RomneyCare” was passed by a Democrat-controlled state legislature.  According to Galen Institute, then Gov. Mitt Romney tried to make several changes in the law to increase free-market involvement, and he opposed the Individual Mandate, but was overridden by the Democrats in his state.

 

Since Romneycare was passed, healthcare costs have skyrocketed.  Massachusetts now has the highest per capita healthcare costs in the country.  So what are the Democrats in the state legislature doing now to control these costs?  According to an article in the Wall Street Journal last August, “all Massachusetts doctors, hospitals and providers must now register with a new state bureaucracy” in order to get keep their licenses to practice medicine.  These providers will have to do extensive reporting on things like their financial status, compliance with “quality measures”, market share, etc.  In addition, now get this:  “no registered provider is allowed to make any material change to its operations or governance structure”.  That means that the state will have control over how  providers runs their own businesses.  If a doctor is ordering too many tests, or spending too much on patient care, the state will force them to submit a “performance improvement plan” that then has to be approved by the commission.  Oh, and it gets worse!   Doctors that don’t comply with the commission’s requirements can be fined $500,000.   Apparently, the “left” in Massachusetts was upset that the government wouldn’t have MORE control over providers!!   I have a request—will the last doctor to leave Massachusetts please turn out the lights?

 

Consider now that the Democrat law called Romneycare was the template in many ways for the Democrat law, Obamacare.  Obamacare already ties provider reimbursement to compliance with “quality measures” that government bureaucrats will develop, and it organizes providers into Accountable Care Organizations that will tell doctors how much care they can give their patients. 

 

Democrats aren’t interested in quality patient care—they are only interested in having total control over our healthcare system…1/6 of our economy.  The only way to stop them is to vote them out of office!   A Republican House, Senate and President is the only chance we have to get rid of this agenda.

(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)