I remember this time with…fondness? I cut my consulting analytical teeth attempting to untangle the boondoggle Massachusetts used to pull down a hefty amount of federal funding through its hospitals which led to the “gun to the head”. They certainly had a fiscal incentive to come up with a solution. Those of us working in the policy arena of publicly financed healthcare generally applauded Massachusetts’ approach. And if states were listening to consultants, they were hearing that Massachusetts proved the US could get pretty darn close to universal coverage.
I'm always dismayed when Republicans, even normal ones like Romney, castigate us "loony lefties" for policies like health care for all, trying to lower student debt, and respect for LGBTQ+ Americans. Then they support mass deportation of people who've never committed a crime by masked thugs who kill people to do it, and excuse it with lies that they're terrorists. They cut health insurance and food assistance to the poor so they can cut taxes for the rich. And they eviscerate every protection the federal government offers to keep Americans from being defrauded.
The only Democrats I blame are the ones who flipped to St. Ronnie in 1980 and laid the foundation for the current shitshow.
Thanks for this great article, Jonathan. Some additional context from a nearly lifelong Massachusetts resident who remembers the arrival of Romney Care well that you may appreciate:
1) It was about the hospitals, and the hospitals in Massachusetts are power players in a way they may not be in other states. It's not just about the health of the state's citizens--health care and education are big industries/sectors in Greater Boston employing a lot of people. There are three major medical schools in Boston--which is a lot for a city of 700,000 or so. The boards of these hospitals have included some of our most connected and influential power brokers including the legendary PR/advertising king Jack Connors, who was a longtime board member of Mass General, and Thomas P. O'Neill III, former lieutenant governor and son of Speaker Tip O'Neill, who served on the boards of Mount Auburn Hospital.
2) You note that Romney Care survived and thrived under a Republican governor as well as two Democrats. That Republican was Charlie Baker, who, prior to becoming governor in 2015, had served as the leader of the state's largest insurer, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and who had saved it from insolvency. This was a sector he knew well and was already committed to.
3) Finally, this may be the most important. I'm not sure why, but the for-profit health insurance industry never got a good foothold here in the state. The biggest players then were Harvard Pilgrim, Blue Cross and Tufts Health Plan (since merged with Harvard Pilgrim). Sure, you can buy United Health here, but I believe every employer offers at least one non-profit version and five of the top six plans in the state (or so the AI tells me) are not for profit. Had United Health Care been a bigger player here, I think they would have put up more of a fight.
This article reminded me of why I am pleased to live in Massachusetts. Also to work in the past in a hospital where we would regularly have the means to enroll the few who showed up uninsured. It's called having a viable safety net and it works. But even better would be a system of universal care a la European countries. Don't know if Mitt would support that ....
Despite ideological differences, I view Mitt Romney as a genuine statesman and someone to respect. I'm not especially thrilled about the way Republicans handled healthcare, but it has led to more people getting treatment.
The way Republicans treat him now is a solid indicator of how low the party has descended in the past few decades.
When we form a Democratic government we should look up people like Romney and Liz Cheney to help us get it right. Even if we go a different direction on policy, it always pays to keep an open mind and open communication with those who differ.
During Covid I followed state-by-state vaccination uptake data obsessively, trying to understand what happens when care is free and ubiquitous, as was the case with the vaccine. Massachusetts had the highest uptake rates in the country across races. Perhaps because so many citizens were plugged into the healthcare system and could get advice from a trusted provider. Or perhaps because Massachusetts is the kind of place that supports healthcare for all.
Not really either I think. Access is important, of course, but Covid vaccines were free everywhere in 2021. Massachusetts is the most educated state in the country, with the highest percentage of citizens with college degrees. I believe there is a strong correlation between education levels and propensity to believe in science versus witchcraft.
Thanks for this article which brings back memories of days when the two parties could regularly work together to accomplish good things for the American people. Romney made a turn away from more moderate views when MAGA became ascendant, at least in part I believe because he feared for his family's safety, very sad to say.
I remember that day in Faneuil Hall so clearly...and Trooper Dan of the Mass State Police giving one of the best renditions of the national anthem you'll ever hear -- made more powerful by the place and the moment.
I like Romney - still do! But him trying to push blame onto Democrats for the degradation of politics is a joke of an excuse for the party that brought rise to Donald Trump.
Two things can be true. Democrats played some role in the degradation of our politics AND the GOP played a bigger role in the degradation of our politics.
Maybe you don't like the examples Mitt chose but there are others to choose from.
Why does our country make things more complicated than needed. Look to Europe for universal healthcare. And checkout the outrageous money that Clinic and hospital boards are paid. We are a country of gullible people.
Romney was widely admired during his time in Massachusetts (both as governor and Senator), which many people may not realize that, while heavily Democratic, often had a Republican governor. Those Republican governors were normal human beings in those pre-MAGA days - they were socially moderate and fiscally responsible, and Massachusetts was fine with that.
What was sad to watch was Romney, when he ran for Senate in Utah, distance himself from his Massachusetts accomplishments and policy positions. For example, he voted for several Republican-backed measures that aimed to weaken or repeal parts of the ACA. Another case in point was Roe v Wade - when he was MA governor and Senator, he supported Roe V Wade, promising to preserve a woman's right to chose. After he left Massachusetts, h began criticizing Roe v. Wade and calling for its reversal or limitation and declared that he had become pro-life.
This has always colored my view of Romney. And not in a good way.
Yes. I'm a Bay Stater who was never a huge Romney fan but I gave him credit where it was due for Romney Care and for being a sensible, no drama centrist governor here. I know many Democrats who actually like him a lot. But when he went to Utah and so clearly turned against Massachusetts many of those people felt betrayed and were done with him.
During the 2000s, even Republicans like Chuck Grassley endorsed the idea of an individual mandate. That was one reason Max Baucus wasted months in 2009 trying to water down the bill and gain Grassley's approval on the Finance Committee. It was never going to happen but in some ways I can understand why Baucus thought it was possible.
I remember this time with…fondness? I cut my consulting analytical teeth attempting to untangle the boondoggle Massachusetts used to pull down a hefty amount of federal funding through its hospitals which led to the “gun to the head”. They certainly had a fiscal incentive to come up with a solution. Those of us working in the policy arena of publicly financed healthcare generally applauded Massachusetts’ approach. And if states were listening to consultants, they were hearing that Massachusetts proved the US could get pretty darn close to universal coverage.
I'm always dismayed when Republicans, even normal ones like Romney, castigate us "loony lefties" for policies like health care for all, trying to lower student debt, and respect for LGBTQ+ Americans. Then they support mass deportation of people who've never committed a crime by masked thugs who kill people to do it, and excuse it with lies that they're terrorists. They cut health insurance and food assistance to the poor so they can cut taxes for the rich. And they eviscerate every protection the federal government offers to keep Americans from being defrauded.
The only Democrats I blame are the ones who flipped to St. Ronnie in 1980 and laid the foundation for the current shitshow.
Thanks for this great article, Jonathan. Some additional context from a nearly lifelong Massachusetts resident who remembers the arrival of Romney Care well that you may appreciate:
1) It was about the hospitals, and the hospitals in Massachusetts are power players in a way they may not be in other states. It's not just about the health of the state's citizens--health care and education are big industries/sectors in Greater Boston employing a lot of people. There are three major medical schools in Boston--which is a lot for a city of 700,000 or so. The boards of these hospitals have included some of our most connected and influential power brokers including the legendary PR/advertising king Jack Connors, who was a longtime board member of Mass General, and Thomas P. O'Neill III, former lieutenant governor and son of Speaker Tip O'Neill, who served on the boards of Mount Auburn Hospital.
2) You note that Romney Care survived and thrived under a Republican governor as well as two Democrats. That Republican was Charlie Baker, who, prior to becoming governor in 2015, had served as the leader of the state's largest insurer, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and who had saved it from insolvency. This was a sector he knew well and was already committed to.
3) Finally, this may be the most important. I'm not sure why, but the for-profit health insurance industry never got a good foothold here in the state. The biggest players then were Harvard Pilgrim, Blue Cross and Tufts Health Plan (since merged with Harvard Pilgrim). Sure, you can buy United Health here, but I believe every employer offers at least one non-profit version and five of the top six plans in the state (or so the AI tells me) are not for profit. Had United Health Care been a bigger player here, I think they would have put up more of a fight.
This article reminded me of why I am pleased to live in Massachusetts. Also to work in the past in a hospital where we would regularly have the means to enroll the few who showed up uninsured. It's called having a viable safety net and it works. But even better would be a system of universal care a la European countries. Don't know if Mitt would support that ....
Despite ideological differences, I view Mitt Romney as a genuine statesman and someone to respect. I'm not especially thrilled about the way Republicans handled healthcare, but it has led to more people getting treatment.
The way Republicans treat him now is a solid indicator of how low the party has descended in the past few decades.
When we form a Democratic government we should look up people like Romney and Liz Cheney to help us get it right. Even if we go a different direction on policy, it always pays to keep an open mind and open communication with those who differ.
During Covid I followed state-by-state vaccination uptake data obsessively, trying to understand what happens when care is free and ubiquitous, as was the case with the vaccine. Massachusetts had the highest uptake rates in the country across races. Perhaps because so many citizens were plugged into the healthcare system and could get advice from a trusted provider. Or perhaps because Massachusetts is the kind of place that supports healthcare for all.
Not really either I think. Access is important, of course, but Covid vaccines were free everywhere in 2021. Massachusetts is the most educated state in the country, with the highest percentage of citizens with college degrees. I believe there is a strong correlation between education levels and propensity to believe in science versus witchcraft.
If Romney/Ryan had won the presidency we would be in a much better place.
A legacy of working together to achieve a significant goal that improved lives is absolutely worth celebrating.
Fun trip down memory lane! Feels like a hundred years ago...
Great reporting and explaining as always Jonathan!
Thanks for this article which brings back memories of days when the two parties could regularly work together to accomplish good things for the American people. Romney made a turn away from more moderate views when MAGA became ascendant, at least in part I believe because he feared for his family's safety, very sad to say.
I remember that day in Faneuil Hall so clearly...and Trooper Dan of the Mass State Police giving one of the best renditions of the national anthem you'll ever hear -- made more powerful by the place and the moment.
I like Romney - still do! But him trying to push blame onto Democrats for the degradation of politics is a joke of an excuse for the party that brought rise to Donald Trump.
Two things can be true. Democrats played some role in the degradation of our politics AND the GOP played a bigger role in the degradation of our politics.
Maybe you don't like the examples Mitt chose but there are others to choose from.
Degradation? You could argue that they went a bit too far left. But that’s not degrading.
Great piece. Thank you for sharing this, I didn’t know about how this all came together
Thank you!
Why does our country make things more complicated than needed. Look to Europe for universal healthcare. And checkout the outrageous money that Clinic and hospital boards are paid. We are a country of gullible people.
I’m a big fan of some of those systems
Hard part is getting from here to there
A topic I hope we can explore more in the near future!
Romney was widely admired during his time in Massachusetts (both as governor and Senator), which many people may not realize that, while heavily Democratic, often had a Republican governor. Those Republican governors were normal human beings in those pre-MAGA days - they were socially moderate and fiscally responsible, and Massachusetts was fine with that.
What was sad to watch was Romney, when he ran for Senate in Utah, distance himself from his Massachusetts accomplishments and policy positions. For example, he voted for several Republican-backed measures that aimed to weaken or repeal parts of the ACA. Another case in point was Roe v Wade - when he was MA governor and Senator, he supported Roe V Wade, promising to preserve a woman's right to chose. After he left Massachusetts, h began criticizing Roe v. Wade and calling for its reversal or limitation and declared that he had become pro-life.
This has always colored my view of Romney. And not in a good way.
Yes. I'm a Bay Stater who was never a huge Romney fan but I gave him credit where it was due for Romney Care and for being a sensible, no drama centrist governor here. I know many Democrats who actually like him a lot. But when he went to Utah and so clearly turned against Massachusetts many of those people felt betrayed and were done with him.
Exactly! I lived in MA for 60 of my 70 years!
During the 2000s, even Republicans like Chuck Grassley endorsed the idea of an individual mandate. That was one reason Max Baucus wasted months in 2009 trying to water down the bill and gain Grassley's approval on the Finance Committee. It was never going to happen but in some ways I can understand why Baucus thought it was possible.
As always, follow Laura if you want to know about Iowa politics