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Posted: August 28, 2007 6:00 PM
Romney Outlines Health Care Reform Plan
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Over the past week, Republican Mitt Romney focused on health care, an issue he tackled as governor of Massachusetts but has taken a different approach as a presidential candidate.

At the annual meeting of the Florida Medical Association on Friday Romney unveiled his ‘free market’ plan to overhaul the country’s health care system through tax incentives and reduced regulation. Romney’s proposal emphasizes state-level reforms and relies on the private sector to help the approximately 45 million uninsured Americans gain access to insurance. The campaign contrasted the plan with what it called “a one-size-fits-all, government-run system” popular among Democrats.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Romney has “sharply” altered his approach to the issue since Massachusetts passed its health insurance plan during his governorship that expanded access to health care and required everyone to sign up for health insurance. Romney’s new plan does not include such mandates.

The Boston Globe also pointed out that when Romney highlights health care reform as an achievement during his time as governor at campaign stops, he omits certain aspects of the plan that Republican audiences would not like.

In other news, the campaign said Monday that one of Romney’s biggest supporters in the Senate, Republican Larry Craig of Idaho, resigned as a Senate liaison for the campaign. The announcement followed news of Craig’s guilty plea to disorderly conduct after he allegedly solicited a plainclothes police officer in a men’s restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in June. The Politico reported that a clip of Craig praising Romney was taken off Romney’s YouTube channel.

Last week, the campaign announced the launch of “Rally for Romney,” a 21-state fund-raising effort to build grassroots support. The goal is for activists to call friends and family and ask them for a contribution. The campaign emphasized the initiative would not have the high cost of typical fund-raisers. Romney’s son Josh explained the program in a YouTube video.

Romney will be in Georgia on Wednesday for finance events. On Thursday and Friday, he plans to travel to South Carolina for several “Ask Mitt Anything” town hall forums. And on Monday, it’s back to New Hampshire.