.
Never mind. Mitt Romney’s support for a ban on insurers excluding folks with pre-existing medical conditions lasted about as long as a late-summer thunderstorm, and less than a Kardashian marriage.
Hours after saying on “Meet the Press” that he “liked” parts of Obamacare, including its ban on insurers’ excluding folks with pre-existing medical conditions and letting young adults stay on their parents’ insurance plans, Romney’s campaign issued a statement to the conservative National Review Online “clarifying” his remarks:
In reference to how Romney would deal with those with preexisting conditions and young adults who want to remain on their parents’ plans, a Romney aide responded that there had been no change in Romney’s position and that “in a competitive environment, the marketplace will make available plans that include coverage for what there is demand for. He was not proposing a federal mandate to require insurance plans to offer those particular features.”
Of course, “the marketplace” did not offer such features; that’s why Obamacare required them.
And a few hours after that, the campaign clarified its clarification to BuzzFeed:
“Gov. Romney will ensure that discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage is prohibited,” an aide said.
Let’s be clear: Romney absolutely was proposing a mandate to require such care in his statement on “Meet the Press” — or at least he was intending to leave that false impression. The plan Massachusetts adopted when he was governor, the one he said he’ll replace Obamacare with, has exactly such a mandate. “I say we’re going to replace Obamacare. And I’m replacing it with my own plan. And even in Massachusetts when I was governor, our plan there deals with pre-existing conditions.” With a mandate against discriminating against people who have one when they’re trying to buy insurance.