From a Romney web video honoring World Multiple Sclerosis Day.
Back in January, at one of the many debates for the Republican presidential candidates, Mitt Romney highlighted Ann Romney's multiple sclerosis. It's proof, the candidate argued, that "as First Lady, she will be able to reach out to people who are also struggling and suffering and will be someone who shows compassion and care." Romney even released a web video on this in honor of World Multiple Sclerosis Day.
It's a nice sentiment, but there is some trouble with this -- those who share Ann Romney's condition are convinced her husband's policy agenda will be horrible for them. Stephanie Mencimer has a good piece on this today.
With Mitt Romney the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, his wife, Ann, has become the most high-profile advocate for people with multiple sclerosis since Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. From her new post as potential first lady, Ann Romney has done much to raise the profile of an incurable, degenerative illness that afflicts some 400,000 Americans. Local chapters of the National MS Society have been clamoring for her to appear at their fundraisers and other events.
But there's a problem: MS advocates say that policies Romney now supports would be detrimental for many MS sufferers, and they are actively opposing these proposals. Which means that Mitt Romney is now at odds with the MS community he and his wife have long supported.
This wasn't much of an issue in Massachusetts. On the contrary, during his gubernatorial tenure, Romney had not yet metamorphosed into his current iteration, and his health care policies advanced progressive goals -- for the MS community and others. The MS Society was an enthusiastic supporter of RomneyCare.
But at the national level, the MS Society did exactly what the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the American Nurses Association, and the American Hospital Association did: they endorsed the Affordable Care Act and continue to oppose its repeal.
Indeed, in 2012, MS advocates are well aware of Romney's plans to destroy the Affordable Care Act dramatically scale back Medicaid, and the extent to which both moves would be a brutal setback for Americans with the disease.
"There are so many provisions in the health law that are beneficial to people with chronic illness, including MS," Ted Thompson, the vice president for federal government relations at the National MS Society, told Mencimer. Of particular importance are annual and lifetime caps, both of which Obama got rid of, and both of which Romney intends to bring back.
"Obamacare" also includes "requirements that insurers sufficiently cover habilitation services, which include physical and occupational therapy and other measures that can help slow the progression of chronic diseases and keep people in the workforce and out of government programs."
Jonathan Cohn added in a recent report, "[P]atients with chronic disease like MS will lose most or all those protections if Romney becomes president and, as he has promised, he repeals the Affordable Care Act. He's promised to replace it with other reforms but, based on what he's said, his reforms won't be much of a substitute. Worse still, the tax and regulatory changes he's proposed would quite likely undermine existing insurance arrangements without providing a suitable alternative, as experts such as Harvard's David Cutler have pointed out. People with chronic disease who now rely on job-based plans could find themselves with weaker coverage, or even none at all."
For years, the MS community has seen the Romneys as close allies. If they're in the White House in January, that will change dramatically.
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Well I believe you are being a little harsh . The Republicans will give you MS sufferers a nice little voucher and you can wheel yourself (or use the walker if it ain't to bad yet ) around and do some shopping for insurance .
See no problem.
Oh, but after they repeal the ACA, good luck finding an insurance company to cover you, cause it seems you've got yourself a nice fat pre-existing condition. Guess you'll have to just go home and die! Rethugs..the party that cares!
Wow Mitt really is stuck in between Barak and a hard place:].
Those of us with chronic conditions (hereditary in my case) must have access to insurance or it will mean abject poverty.
How can this man (who signed Romneycare into law in MA) now reject the same plan on a nationwide level to all American citizens?
It is the ultimate betrayal to those of us who depend on access to medical care that his wife gets on a regular basis.
How he can reject ACA? It is to his political advantage. He will do and say anything that has a slight chance to bring him closer to the White House. I hope he will never reach it.
Ideological stances are easy when everything is kept at an impersonal, alienated level. When homosexuality touches Cheney's life, when latino voters speak to Perry and he understands taking the GOP hard line is heartless, when republican farmers see their crops drying up and their GOP congressmen dedicated to not helping them, and denying climate change....
It gets personal.
Ms. Mencimer has illuminated a dichotomous ideology that plagues many private non-profit service organizations. That being the dire need for contributions ($) and concilliation of the values or principles of said service oriented organizations. I call it the kiss my ring effect.
As someone with multiple chronic conditions I find the idea that Ann Romney can relate offensive. She has no idea what it is like to not only have a horrible, debilitating condition but not even be able to afford to go to the doctor, not just due to DR fees but also taking time off work. She doesn't know the despair felt when even if you went to the ER on your day off you couldn't afford any treatment they prescribed much less follow-up visits.
It is so ironic (and obviously hypocritical) that the very conservatives who profess their core principles above practically anything else in their worldview are backing a presidential candidate who is so shallow in his new found beliefs as evidenced by the multiple reversals of a once reasonably moderate governor who held, whether conservative or moderate, such core principles.
I have friends with MS and it is sad that the old Governor Romney no longer shares your pain.
Sorry but this doesn't wash either coming from the Rmoneys.. The husband can't lie, cheat and steal for a living then make people believe you (or the wife) have "Amercian's" health care interests in mind. Screw the Romneys, the only reason I have health insurance (which I must utilize all the time) is because I have a job that provides it. I find it difficult to believe that the Rmoneys care if you live, work or die (access to health care or not!)..
And those of us with chronic disease who have to buy our insurance on the private market will absolutely find ourselves with weaker coverage, or even none at all.
Simply because Ann Romney has a debilitating disease is NO reason to assume that they can relate to others with this disease. After all, Mittens bought Anne a horse to help with her MS, I know someone that's being debilitated and no one bought her a horse to help her! If Anne is "having a bad day" she has servants that will cook, clean, help her bathe if necessary; my friend NOT so much! I'm actually quite tired of these false equivalences, Anne has MS and so do many other Americans - the difference between them are as wide as the Grand Canyon!
Don't forget, they wrote the 77,000 cost off on their taxes. So in effect, you help pay for her horse. It would be interesting to see what else they have charged to the United States taxpayers.
Don't tell Ann she can't relate. Remember how much trouble Hillary Rosen got into?
When I was terminated from my position because I was diagnosed with cancer, I had to obtain my own coverage after my Cobra ran out. Aside from the fact that insurance companies would not call me back and the only one I could turn to was the company that isured me through my fomer employers policy. They graciously offered me coverage at 1,208 per month which I had to pay. My disability income is $1,300 per month, can Romney do that math? How much is that Voucher the Ryan Budget wants to give me and how much will it cost me to get full coverage for my illness?
Romney wants to repeal our Affordable Health Care Act while making the following comments about Israel's Health Care. "When our health care costs are completely out of control. Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the GDP in Israel? Eight percent. You spend 8 percent of GDP on health care. And you're a pretty healthy nation. We spend 18 percent of our GDP on health care. Ten percentage points more."
From the artilce written by Roby Blumnr 8/6/12: Romney's right. Israel spends far less per capita — about $2,200 compared with our $8,400. It also covers all of its citizens in a system that provides accessible, technologically advanced treatment. How does Israel do it? Israel is a socialist country. It has national health care in which all citizens are part of HMOs paid for by the government as a single-payer. The cost of the system is covered by taxes.
Romney continued his remarks by saying, "We have to find ways — not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to finally manage our health care costs."
Israel does this through government control. The government caps hospital revenue, contracts with salaried physicians and decides how much it will pay the HMOs, while guaranteeing that comprehensive health services are provided. Coverage is so generous that the Israeli average life expectancy is four years more than that of an American.
In a nutshell, Israel's recipe for success — federally mandated health insurance with strict government regulation — is an anathema to Romney and his fellow Republicans.
I realize I'm meddling in the Romney's private life, but I've often wondered how prudent it is for Mitt to subject his wife to an election process, not to mention the stress of being a possible first lady, when she has M.S. Based on treating patients with M.S., the smallest stress makes their symptoms worse. I wonder if this is why most of Romney's sons were against the idea of him running for president.
good ol' theists who ignore the command to take care of the least of these becuase they think it'll cost them *money*, that filthy lucre.
As I read the comments I became more & more upset, what is wrong with republicans? Unless you are really wealthy voting for them is ludicrous. Seems many of them would rather be sick, homeless & broke than admit Romney & especially Ryan care not a wit about them. It is so important to vote the party of obstruction out.
To Sick and Effin Tired: What a harsh statement you made. "Us" "MS Sufferers" can wheel ourselves around? It must be nice not to be like "us" and made such an inappropriate statement. As a matter of fact, I am part of the "us" and I WALK - don't refer to "us" like we are chattel. We matter, and as such, we deserve to have the insurance we richly deserve. Before you make another statement, walk in someone else's shoes, please.
sick-n-effin- tired,needs to pray and hope he never suffers from a disease or injury that confines him to a wheel chair.Also,how fortunate ,he can afford the necessary care. He also needs to remember,2008. Just because you you have the job now,doesn't mean it will be there( after Mr. Romney is done ) No job, no income, no health care.
One more point. All of these right wing "Christians" that claim to believe in Jesus and the Bible...,where is the compassion? Christ charged us to care of the less fortunate,the sick, the castaways. He also condemned the moneychangers.
So lets be honest. It's all about the purse strings. Keep Christ out of it. He's ashamed of you.
Florida has an ammendment on the nov 6th ballot to "A law or rule may not compel, directly or indirectly, any person or employer to purchase, obtain, or otherwise provide for healthcare coverage." The way I read this is people of Florida won't have to purchase healthcare, how stupid!