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Who would vote for Mitt Romney on his record?

L.C. M - 2008-01-25 08:17:35 - Elections

I have one prescription that costs more than the insurance cost in Mass.

Best Answer:

I would. In terms of economic policies, he is very smart. As a fiscal conservative, he impresses me with his limiting government, pro-individual stances.

Answers:

I would. In terms of economic policies, he is very smart. As a fiscal conservative, he impresses me with his limiting government, pro-individual stances.

not me. I work in Mass, and the health care plan there is a joke. No one in their right mind would sign up for the state plan, and then they tax you if you don't have health care (you get a fine), so they have burdened those that can least afford it to either support a crappy state plan that is useless, or get fined. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financial... No health care? Higher fines in Mass. By STEVE LeBLANC The cost of not having health insurance in Massachusetts is going up. When the new year begins Tuesday, most residents who remain uninsured will face monthly fines that could total as much as $912 for individuals and $1,824 for couples by the end of 2008, according to penalty guidelines unveiled by the Department of Revenue on Monday. Individuals who failed to sign up for health insurance by the end of 2007 faced only a one-time loss of their $219 personal income tax exemption. The fines are part of an increasingly aggressive approach written into the health care law designed to pressure Massachusetts residents into getting insurance. The law, intended to create near-universal coverage in the state, was approved by lawmakers and signed by former Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006. It remains unclear how many Massachusetts residents still don't have insurance, but the number could be in the hundreds of thousands. The penalties, which vary with age and income, are based on half the lowest cost plans available through the Health Care Connector. They accrue each month an individual remains uninsured and will be due as part of tax returns filed early in 2009. The penalties apply only to adults deemed able to afford health insurance by the Health Insurance Connector Authority, which oversees the health care law. People can apply for hardship appeals. The highest fine of $76 a month -- or $912 a year -- will be levied against those over the age of 27 making more than three times the federal poverty level of $30,636 for an individual. Married couples who are both uninsured will have to pay fines individually. A couple earning more than $41,076 would have to pay $1,824 in penalties for the year. The fines drop for younger adults and fall even lower for those making less than three times the poverty level. There are no fines for individuals earning less than $15,325 a year. Revenue Commissioner Henry Dormitzer said the department worked to come up with penalties that were fair and easy to understand. John McDonough, executive director of the advocacy group Health Care for All, said the penalties were a good compromise. The way the law was written, 59 year olds could have faced penalties five or six times higher than younger adults in their 20s because their insurance plans typically cost more, McDonough said. "Some will say these are too high. Some will say these are too low. There is plenty of room for argument on both sides," he said. "We are in such uncharted territory." No one knows for sure how many taxpayers will face the fines. Those overseeing the law say the state has added about 300,000 Massachusetts residents to the ranks of the insured this year -- largely as a result of the law. Leslie Kirwan, Gov. Deval Patrick's top budget chief and chairwoman of the Connector board, said estimates of the number of uninsured in Massachusetts before the law took effect ranged from 370,000 to more than half a million. ******************************... http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles... What good is health care if no doc will see you? Scramble is on to find a physician By JULIE JETTE The Patriot Ledger KINGSTON - Lee Sampson didn’t expect to find herself without health insurance. But when her job as a medical transcriptionist got outsourced to India earlier this year, Sampson, 47, had to find a way to get covered. She found it in Commonwealth Care, a group of subsidized health insurance plans that was created as part of the state’s new law requiring people to buy coverage. While the little income Sampson had disqualified her for the state’s Medicaid program, the subsidized option was more doable than pricier plans targeting the uninsured from carriers like Harvard Pilgrim and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Sampson was enrolled in a plan run by a subsidiary of Boston Medical Center called BMC Health Net. But before her benefits would take effect, she had to find a primary care doctor. That’s when her frustration with the new system reached a boiling point. Sampson started calling primary care doctors within a half-hour drive of her home in Kingston. The response from nearby doctors: ‘‘We’re not taking (that insurance plan), we’re not taking new patients.’’ Sampson estimated she called about 50 doctors. In some cases, administrators at doctors offices said they didn’t know why they were on lists as accepting the insurance when they don’t. In others, they just weren’t accepting new patients. ‘‘One woman I talked to said, ‘My son is going through the same thing,’’’ Sampson said. ‘‘People are very sympathetic.’’ Sampson’s experience may become more common as residents - many who don’t have insurance for financial reasons - scramble to find plans ahead of the Jan. 1 state deadline, after which people lose their state income tax personal exemption of about $219 and face the prospect of stiffer penalties later on. Katie Bicego manages the patient help line at Health Care for All, a Boston-based advocacy group. She said the help line is getting calls about situations similar to Sampson’s. The calls that have come in lead her to believe the inability to find a doctor for the plan is a growing problem. ‘‘When we see these little problems repeating themselves and coming out of the woodwork, there’s a much bigger problem there,’’ she said. Officials with the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, the state agency overseeing the new health plans, said at least 19 doctors are accepting new patients and BMC HealthNet within 20 miles of Kingston. But Sampson said she thinks Brockton, West Bridgewater and Abington are too far a drive, especially for someone who is sick. Dick Powers, a spokesman for the Connector, said the agency has heard of only a handful of people who have signed up for the new insurance and haven’t been able to find nearby primary care doctors. More than 90,000 people have obtained health insurance coverage under Commonwealth Care since it was first offered last November. Rick Gulla, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Medical Society, said he hasn’t heard a lot of newly insured people complaining about not being able to find a doctor. But the society has reported on an overall shortage of primary care doctors and doctors in other key specialties in the state. After Sampson spent some time on the phone with a customer service representative at the Connector, the rep agreed that she had insufficient options close to home, and she’s being switched to a different plan. She has yet to call doctors to see if she can find one closer to home. She considers herself lucky because she’s healthy and rarely needs to see a physician. But she says she’s angered that the state will keep her personal income tax exemption if she can’t find a doctor. ‘‘They’re going to penalize the little people for not having something we can’t get our hands on,’’ she said.

Romney has had my vote for some time.

I was originally going Guiliani, but I may switch to Romney. I was very impressed with him last night. I think businessmen make the best leaders instead of career politicians.

not me. your question is annoyingly long thanks for the 2pts. RP '08

I don't know, my vote is split between McCain and Romney. After watching some of the debates and looking at their records I think McCain is a more honest politician but as someone above said, he is a great fiscal conservative and I completely agree with his assessment of the middle class. Great record BTW, Romney by the numbers did a great job in his state, by his reviews though I don't think he did as great of job though but still better than most would have done. I think he is definitely a great candidate to vote for and if he shows himself a little more for his recession related fiscal policies I might change my vote.

The debate showed that Romney wants his party's nomination more than the others. And while the others were dressed as morticians, for the latest debate, Romney's attire stood out, and was first-rate! I'll skip the press releases, and concentrate on the Globe's analysis at a later date. You have done all voters a service, with this posting.