Romneycare's Health Benefits

Maybe Romneycare isn't so bad after all. Mitt's opponents love to knock him for it, but the health-care reforms Romney put in place as governor of Massachusetts may have actually improved health in the state. According to a new study, Massachusetts residents have seen improvements in "physical health, mental health, functional limitations, joint disorders, body mass index, and moderate physical activity." Romney's reforms gave more people insurance, making it easier for them to see a doctor and get early or regular treatments for their illnesses. The researchers suggest that "the general strategies for obtaining nearly universal coverage in both the Massachusetts and federal laws involved the same three-pronged approach of non-group insurance market reforms, subsidies and mandates, suggesting that the health effects should be broadly similar." They do clarify that "the federal legislation included additional costcutting measures as Medicare cuts that could potentially mitigate the gains in health from the coverage expansion ... On the other hand, baseline uninsured rates were unusually low in Massachusetts, so the coverage expansions—and corresponding health improvements—from the Affordable Care Act could potentially be greater."