Health Law Reverberations Continue On The Campaign Trail
Politico reports how Scott Brown, in his current New Hampshire senatorial campaign, is being haunted by both the Massachusetts and federal health overhauls. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports on an attack ad in South Dakota.
Politico: Romneycare Shadows Scott Brown’s Anti-Obamacare Tour
Yet for all the vitriol, Brown may not be the purest critic. Obamacare is an offshoot of Romneycare, which Brown supported as a Republican state lawmaker in Massachusetts. That gives Brown the same problem Mitt Romney had while running for president in 2012: explaining why he likes and still defends a health reform law packed with mandates in Massachusetts while declaring its central elements unfit for the nation. Brown insisted in an interview that although Obamacare is “the biggest issue in New Hampshire” he is not taking health care cues from Romney (Cheney, 5/15).
The Associated Press: South Dakota Lawmaker Takes Issue With Attack Ad That Focuses On Medicare
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rick Weiland is taking issue with former Gov. Mike Rounds' wording in a television advertisement about the nation's new health care law. Rounds is seeking the GOP nomination for the seat. He says in the ad that President Barack Obama "is taking over $700 billion from Medicare to fund Obamacare." The number refers to cuts to Medicare Advantage, a private program that pays insurance companies a high reimbursement rate (5/15).