Obama To Tout Obamacare in Massachusetts, Citing Success of Romneycare

October 29th, 2013

Mitt Romney is the gift that keeps on freaking giving.

President Obama will travel Wednesday to Boston, delivering remarks promoting the Affordable Care Act at Faneuil Hall, the same location where then-Gov. Mitt Romney signed Massachusetts’ 2006 universal coverage legislation.

“It does serve as the blue print for the Affordable Care Act,” David Simas, White House deputy senior adviser for communications and strategy, said Tuesday of Massachusetts’ health reform.

In keeping with that theme, Simas told reporters that the event will likely highlight enrollment trends during the Massachusetts’ law’s first year: Just 123 people signed up during the Bay State’s first month of open enrollment. By contrast, 20 percent of the first year’s 36,000 enrollees purchased coverage in the last month before an individual mandate penalty kicked in.

“It’s a very, very good lesson in terms of what we know about this kind of reform,” Simas said.

Recall that during the 2012 election, Obama called Romenycare the godfather of Obamacare.