And the homework was done, it just wasn’t laid out on a silver platter to meet your “standards.”

From article:
Current reality: 169,000 at a cost of $618 million
Original projection: 215,000 at a cost of $725 million.
Revised projection: 342,000 at a cost of $1.3 billion.

Revised projected enrollment at costs estimated in original projection:
- 342,000 at a cost of $1.092 billion (725*342/215).

Estimated costs of bells and whistles:
- $208 million ($1.3 bil minus $1.092 bil)

Remaining cost overrun due to blown enrollment estimate:
- $367 million ($1.092 billion minus $725 million).

So, the blown enrollment estimate is responsible for 64% of the problem, and the bells and whistles pick up the remaining 36%.

And this bravely assumes that Romney’s original pre-”bells and whistles” estimate wasn’t deliberately understated to make it more palatable.

Is that enough “honest analysis” and “homework” for you?

The ugly truth you need to face, is that conservatism and the Left share a key characteristic — they both see individuals as children in need of being taken care of. They differ only on the kind of parent they think the State should be.

Different roads, same destination. How much more do you need to see?

Romney’s plan was good, but when you move on, people can add bells and whistles after you’ve left office. I think the proper way to post about something like this is to look into those bells and whistles, what was added after Romney left as opposed to before, and then give an honest analysis. If you want to post on it, do your homework.

If he really were the pro-market reformer he now pretends to be, he easily could have proposed voluntary, portable, personal health savings accounts for Massachusetts residents.

He could have let account holders make tax-free deposits in those accounts.

He could have implemented Rep. John Shadegg’s (R - Arizona) great idea: Let people buy health insurance across state lines. If Acme Insurance in Wisconsin has a better, more economical plan than, say, Blue Cross of Massachusetts, then go ahead and buy it.

Romney could have reduced the number of procedures mandated for coverage in every policy. This would lower insurance costs, since there would be “Volkswagen” and “Toyota” models, as well as “BMW” and “Lexus” varieties on the market. People could pick and choose stripped-down insurance or policies with all the extras thrown in.

Romney ignored all of these pro-market, pro-patient ideas and instead created a brand-new, bureaucratic, mandate-fueled government program. Lo and behold, it now is big, fat, and out of control.

What a shock!

“Mr Fix It” should have seen this coming.

A. How about some links and specifics?

B. What changes, if any, did he not veto? (please don’t try to tell me “none”)

C. The “bells and whistles,” even if explained away, don’t explain away blowing the estimate of how many uninsured people would sign up, and what they would sign up for.

+++++++++++++++

Currently, 169,000 people have enrolled in the program, which is expected to cost $618 million in the fiscal year ending June 30. When it authorized the program in 2006, the Legislature estimated that about 215,000 people would eventually be enrolled at a cost of $725 million. State officials in late 2006 reduced that estimate to between 140,000 and 160,000 - a number that was surpassed last year.

+++++++++++++++

The current estimate is that 342,000 will enroll. That’s about 60% more than the original estimate, and over 100% more than the (clearly artificially reduced) legislature’s estimate. The dollar effect of the blown enrollment estimate more than likely far exceeeds the dollar effect of the “bells and whistles.”

Anyone could have predicted that there would be a crowding-out effect, and there’s a fair chance there’s a migratory effect too (people coming into MA to get the goodies).

D. None of this explains away the celebratory signing ceremony with Ted Kennedy’s supportive attendance. Clearly, Mitt was happy with the overall result of his handiwork.

E. I see no evidence that Romney has come up with any ideas to fix the situation he predominantly created. It’s just another mess he left behind.

F. And as I said in a previous comment, Romney owes us the explanation. We shouldn’t have to dig for it ourselves. It’s HIS freaking “signature accomplishment.”

As far as the underestimating: I wonder if they just assumed everyone on Medicaid would be enrolled and everyone who didn’t pay their own was on Medicaid?

An even better question though is are a lot of poor people moving into the state in order to get benefits? This happened with both DC and CA in the 90s. Their benefits were better than the surrounding jurisdictions so the poor, who are not stupid by any means, just moved across the border to take advantage of them.

#6, Mr. Hynes, possibly? E-mail me if so.

#7, Interesting point. I looked into it, and found that the British NHS is getting into shaman stuff. Couldn’t find anything on MA. If you have one, a link would be helpful.

This is a wonderful blog entry, and I have been saying the same things to my so-called “Conservative” friends who are going to support Romney.

I don’t think they understand that Romney is going to bring us socialized meds.

-LJ