Santorum: Romney Wrong Man For GOP On Health Care (Video and Transcript), on the Kaiser Health News website. Summary: Health care, especially the individual mandate, was the focus of a tense and angry exchange in Thursday night’s last debate before the crucial GOP Florida primary. In answering a question from the audience, all four candidates Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Rep. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum had sharp words as they tried to claim they were the right candidate on this crucial election issue. Moderator Wolf Blitzer tried to contain the discussion, but Santorum pursued Romney doggedly.
Publius Prime 
GG- the primary issue is that MA voters overwhelmingly supported the measure and chose the legal path for themselves, while US voters overwhelmingly opposed the measure and the illegal path was forced upon us. If MA voters want to eat cake, let ’em do it but WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT! (plug for Dee Snyder on Celebrity Apprentice GO DEE!!)
you continue to miss the point (i think purposefully because you have no answer for) that millions! like me are making! i know states can legislate mandates and regulations BUT the individual HC mandate is a very poor direction to take and is oppressive!! it is an individual confiscation of ones resources against their will! and while they may be able to get away w/ it at state level (lets hope not at the Fed) – its still the same thing!!!! this is the PT – ask yourself why is only Mitt & Obama forcing this???? if it were such a great social & economic tact & resolution why aren’t others following and/or have done long ago????? yes mitt can do it (and he did) but that doesnt change anything else! further there were thousands of Mass citizens who voted against this – why do you think they wouldve opposed in their own state if it was so terrific???? and why if mitt thinks so great for his state he doesnt propose concept for a national model??? he could tweek the concept if it was so efficient to work on a larger scale could he not? no he was in a sink hole in Mass and took the moderate way out and now is caught up in this w/ obama and he’s trying to thread the needle out of this hole……. he should just say he f’ed up and be done w/ it…. but again mitt doesnt make mistakes its never his fault just the other guys. YOU just cant admit that your boy fundamentally and conceptually is lock step w/ obama on this and gave him the blueprint!
HOWEVER — If they don’t want to buy a health insurance plan that’s offered to them at discounted costs from a pool of private healthcare insurance companies who offer a variety of different plans to best suit their health insurance needs, then they can opt out and pay a $120 penalty per month which goes into a “uninsured” fund held by the State to cover the State’s costs of the uninsured who use hospitals and medical facilities without paying for the medical services and medicine.
This is NOT the same as the Obamacare mandate that REQUIRES everyone to have the same healthcare plan–one that is chosen for them by the government–a one-size fits all plan. The Obamacare federal individual mandate is UNCONSTITUTIONAL since it violates the 10th amendment. States must take care of their own citizens regarding healthcare. Santorum and everyone else trying to equate the two plans are being dishonest.
HAAAA so you fiiiiiinallly admit it 14allnallformitt (good for you): mitt forces people to either buy a product or pay a fine! this is patently oppressive 😦 but i guess that flies in mittnation huh?? not the mindset we want in America though! and by the way the same approach/mindset the Supremes had better reject! and before you respond & repeat yourself just remember (regardless of State vs Fed or tax we pay or other state regulation) both Mitt & Barack share the “forced healthcare individual mandate” PERIOD! so if mitt gets the nod and loses dont come singin’ the blues to guitargod 😦
States CAN LEGALLY enact mandates. They do it all the time! What part of the U.S. Constitution and the 10th Amendment don’t you understand?!? Geesh! 😦