On the Early Show, Mitt Romney answers criticisms of his state's health care program.
QUESTION: Governor, I should say that Forbes Magazine says that the Massachusetts program "hardly looks like a model for the nation or even any other state. What it looks like is a mess right now."
Costs, as you know, have gone from $133 million in 2007 to more than 700 million projected in 2009. Are you surprised at how much costs have spiraled?
ROMNEY: Actually, that cost figure is almost precisely, actually, slightly less than what was forecast when the conference committee put the final bill together, so it's exactly on budget.
And the state's cost is about 1/2 of that -- about $350 million dollars. The Independent Massachusetts Taxpayer's Foundation looked at the program and said it's well within the initial projections, and it's a modest cost.A
and the truth is: At 1.5% of the state budget, we've gotten all of our people insured, and everyone in Massachusetts knows that if they were to get ill or have lost a job, they would not lose insurance.... and we did all this without having to have a public option.
For reference, here's the statement from the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation.
And here's the Forbes piece hitting the program.
CBS also has a report of the interview here.
UPDATE: Here's a new video segment from CNN on Romney's health care plan. Strange that Robert Blendon from the Harvard University of School of Public Health says 7/10 support the program, considering Rasmussen found only 26% in Massachusetts consider the reform a success.
