Does Mitt Romney’s Romneycare health care plan fund abortion with taxpayer dollars?

by Wintery Knight | January 20, 2012 10:00 am

Fred Thompson made the point about Romneycare and abortion during the 2008 campaign, and Politifact: agreed with Fred’s charge against Romney[1].

Excerpt:

Fred Thompson’s campaign is trying to take the much-touted health insurance program that Mitt Romney helped create as governor of Massachusetts and turn it into a liability with conservative Republican voters who dominate the party’s primary elections.

The Thompson campaign, which has been playing up the former U.S. senator’s antiabortion stances, sent out this e-mail in November 2007:

“So what sort of services does Romney’s health care plan provide? Per the state Web site: $50 co-pay for abortions.

“While court mandate requires Massachusetts to cover ‘medically necessary’ abortions in state-subsidized health plans, Mitt Romney’s plan covers ALL abortions — no restrictions.”

And it’s true.

One of the crowning moments of Mitt Romney’s tenure as governor of Massachusetts was the creation of Commonwealth Care, a state-run, state-subsidized health insurance program for people making up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. Although private insurers provide the coverage, the state helps pay the bills and determines what services must be covered.

That list includes abortion. And the co-pay is indeed $50.

Romney has recently sought to distance himself from some details of the plan, but he has touted it in debates and interviews as a model for the nation.

“I love it. It’s a fabulous program,” Romney said during a May 3, 2007, Republican debate in Simi Valley, Calif. “Now I know there’s some people who wonder about it. Sen. Kennedy at the signing of the bill, we were all there together, he said, ‘You know, if you’ve got Mitt Romney and Ted Kennedy agreeing to the same bill, that means one thing — one of us didn’t read it.’

[…]Although Romney shares responsiblity with the state legislature and the program’s board, Commonwealth Care was his pet project, and he takes credit for it. We find Thompson’s claims true.

Those are the facts. Romney may say he is pro-life, but he doesn’t have the record of pro-life activism of Rick Santorum, or even the good pro-life voting record of Newt Gingrich.

Many more details of Romneycare and abortion here[2].

Watch: Mitt Romney explain his views on abortion and stem cell research[3]: in his own words.

Endnotes:
  1. agreed with Fred’s charge against Romney: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2007/nov/27/fred-thompson/indeed-abortions-are-covered/
  2. Many more details of Romneycare and abortion here: http://ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/problem-romneycare
  3. Mitt Romney explain his views on abortion and stem cell research: http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/mitt-romney-on-abortion-and-stem-cell-research-in-his-own-words/

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