Mitt Romney Drafting a 'Replacement for Obamacare'

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said Wednesday that he continues to draft a “replacement for Obamacare,” joining many other Republicans who have tried to fulfill President Donald Trump’s promise to make the Republican Party the party of health care.

Romney told the Hill Wednesday that he has a new plan to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Sen. Romney revealed, “It’s a replacement for ObamaCare. We’re ready with that, but we’ll see what kind of support we get.”

Several Republican Senate offices reportedly have not heard anything about Obamacare’s replacement plan. Asked by the Hill whether he would release his plan first or seek to gain cosponsors, Romney said, “It depends on the support, or lack thereof.”

When Romney served as the governor of Massachusetts, he signed into law his own healthcare plan that was widely believed to be a precursor to Obamacare. The healthcare bill Romney signed contained an individual mandate to purchase health insurance.

In 2006, speaking at the Heritage Foundation, Romney said that people who did not purchase health insurance were free riders on the health insurance system.

Conservatives panned Romney during the 2012 Republican presidential election, contending that the former Massachusetts governor helped inspire the system for the ACA; however, Romney has defended his work in Massachusetts, often stating that his legislation worked for Massachusetts, but does not work for the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, other Republicans have continued to work on dynamic Republican Obamacare replacements. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) told Breitbart News in April that he continues to work on a federalist-style Obamacare repeal and replace bill. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s healthcare bill would offer Louisianans more affordable and cheaper options compared to Obamacare while protecting patients with preexisting conditions through a “guaranteed benefits pool.”

Sen. Romney has served as a controversial figure in the U.S. Senate. Last week, he declined to say if he will endorse President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The freshman Utah senator also called Republican presidential primary challenger Bill Weld a “terrific guy.” Furthermore, in May, Romney said that Rep. Justin Amash’s (R-MI) contention that Trump engaged in “impeachable conduct” was “courageous.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.