Mr. Multiple Choice Strikes Again, Mitt Romney Changes Position on Preexisting Conditions

Mr. Multiple Choice Strikes Again, Mitt Romney Changes Position on Preexisting Conditions Again (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

Mitt Romney flip-flops on saying he would keep parts of Obamacare, such as existing conditions and keeping kids on parents’ insurance until they are 26. Mr. Multiple Choice strikes again:

In a Sunday interview, Mitt Romney spoke out for a popular provision in the Affordable Care Act that guarantees coverage for people with preexisting conditions. But his campaign later clarified that he supports a scaled back version of the policy with much weaker protections.

“I’m not getting rid of all of health care reform. Of course there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I’m going to put in place,” the Republican nominee said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” “One is to make sure that those with preexisting conditions can get coverage.”

His campaign later told TPM he wasn’t signaling a shift in policy and was instead referring to his existing stance in favor of protections on preexisting conditions only for those with continuous insurance coverage — not for first-time or returning buyers.

“He has a comprehensive reform plan; for instance, his own plan will deal with preexisting conditions but not in the same way that Obamacare does,” a campaign aide said. Source:  Talking Points Memo

Mother Jones had an interesting take on Romney’s flip-flop in less than 24 hours:

Why? Because policies that cover preexisting conditions are big money losers unless you charge premiums high enough that no one could afford them. Because of that, nobody bothers to offer them in the first place. That’s how the free market works. It would be nice if Romney could explain how he intends to square this circle.

It would also be nice if the mainstream press reported the fact that Romney doesn’t plan to make sure those with preexisting conditions can get health coverage just as loudly as they reported his original misstatement. I’m not holding my breath.