Mitt Romney: 'I'm The Guy Who Was Able To Get Health Care' For Massachusetts

Mitt Romney: 'I'm The Guy Who Was Able To Get Health Care' For Massachusetts

Mitt Romney said Sunday that he doesn't foresee a problem appealing to women voters, touting the fact that his Massachusetts health care law helped many women in that state obtain access to health care.

"With regards to women's health care, look, I'm the guy who was able to get health care for all of the women and men in my state," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." "They're [the Obama administration] just talking about it at the federal level, but we actually did something and did it without cutting Medicare and without raising taxes."

Romney often underplays the Massachusetts health care law, known as Romneycare, and tried to stay as far from it as possible during the Republican primary because of its strong similarities with President Obama's Affordable Care Act. Mentions of Romneycare are still met with surprise from political observers. Campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul caused a stir earlier this month when she touted Romneycare for helping provide universal health care in the state.

"If people had been in Massachusetts under Governor Romney’s health care plan, they would have had health care," Saul said on Fox News on Aug. 8. "There are a lot of people losing their jobs and their health care in President Obama’s economy."

Romney typically tries to sidestep social issue questions by talking about the economy, but on Sunday, Wallace preemptively asked him to answer on how Republicans can appeal to women on health care and abortion issues. Romney said Romneycare is one example of what he and his party have done right.

"I'm very proud of what we did and the fact that we helped women and men and children in our state, and we did it without cutting Medicare, which obviously affects a lot of women," he said, accusing the president of raiding Medicare funds to pay for health care reform.

Romney dismissed notions that Republicans differ from most women on issues of abortion and contraception. He said Democrats have falsely tried to paint Republicans as anti-contraception, and that men and women on both sides have different views on abortion.

Romney also took the opportunity to again condemn Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) for his remarks last Sunday on rape and abortion. Romney said Akin made "a terrible statement" and repeated twice that he had called for Akin to step out of the Missouri Senate race.

"I think it was uninformed, I think it was outrageous and offensive," Romney said of Akin's comments about "legitimate rape" and pregnancy. "I've asked him to get out of the race, I think I've distanced myself from the thing that he said as far as I can. He was wrong."

Before You Go

Healthcare In America Is Already 'The Best In The World'

Lies And Distortions Of The Health Care Debate

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