Romney Plays Down Role in Health Law

Romney's action on health care was pushed by a coalition of liberal groups who were considering a ballot initiative to expand health coverage if the state did not do anything, but even Bay State Democrats say he played a major role in the law's creation.

Many of the law's core elements, including the requirement that all people in the state get insurance, were in Romney's original proposal in 2005. The Democratic legislature added many of its own ideas to the final law, including a $295 fee per employee for businesses who do not offer health insurance to their workers. Romney vetoed that provision but was overridden by the legislature.

Conservatives have long been suspicious of universal health-care plans with high costs and requirements that either businesses or individuals purchase insurance; some say that such plans violate the idea that people should be able to choose whether they want insurance and that costs hurt businesses.

Another controversial provision in the Massachusetts plan creates a board on health-care financing that must include one member of the state's Planned Parenthood office, something that will not help Romney with the GOP base's abortion opponents.

"This mandate is unprecedented," said Michael Tanner, a health expert at the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington. "It's the first time a state has said simply because you live there you must buy a specific product. If he wants to be the Republican who embraces Hillary-care, I don't think that's going to go hand in hand with him trying to portray himself as Ronald Reagan's heir."

In a Washington Post poll taken in February, 16 percent of Democrats cited health care as their No. 1 issue, compared with 6 percent of Republicans. But some Republican strategists say that even if the details are not perfect, Romney should highlight his work on the issue. "Any sort of government mandate, Republicans are going to take with a grain of salt," said David Winston, a Republican pollster not affiliated with any candidate. "But on the issue overall, Republicans have significant concerns, and the candidates are going to have to address it."

And candidates often use issues that their party is not known for to distinguish themselves -- most notably then-Gov. George W. Bush's focus on his restructuring of education in Texas during his 2000 presidential bid.

For now, Romney is keeping his distance from the law, which goes into effect July 1 and has proved a challenge to implement. Massachusetts officials initially sought to require everyone to get insurance, but they have created exemptions, worried they have not yet created plans that are cheap enough for all residents.

"Republicans and Democrats came together, and we found a way to get everybody insured in our state," Romney told a crowd in Manchester, N.H., in response to a question last week. "I'm pretty proud of what we've been able to do. Is it perfect? I hope so, but probably not. Other states will come up with ideas, at least as good as ours, perhaps even better, and we'll learn from one another."