(CBS News) WOLFEBORO, N.H. - Mitt Romney tried to clear up the confusion about where he stands on President Obama's health care reform. Two days ago, his campaign spokesman said the requirement that every American buy health insurance is a penalty, not a tax. But on Wednesday, the candidate shifted his position.
Romney has come under fire since the Supreme Court's decision because his position on this tax issue has been at odds with every Republican, that of course they're saying that the health care law is a massive tax hike. But Wednesday, in his first interview since the Supreme Court decision, Romney tried to clear things up. CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford interviewed the GOP presidential hopeful at his vacation home. A transcript follows:
Romney: Well, the Supreme Court has the final word. And their final word is that Obamacare is a tax. So it's a tax. They decided it was constitutional. So it is a tax and it's constitutional. That's the final word. That's what it is.
Crawford: Have you changed your views on this? Do you now believe that it is a tax at the federal level, that the Supreme Court has said it's a tax? So it is a tax?
Romney: Well, I said that I agreed with the dissent, and the dissent made it very clear that they felt it was unconstitutional. But the dissent lost. It's in the minority. And so now the Supreme Court has spoken.
Romney: Individual mandate "is a tax"
There's now way around that. You can try and say you wished they would have decided in a different way, but they didn't. They concluded it was a tax. That's what it is. And the American people know that President Obama has broken the pledge he made. He said he wouldn't raise taxes on middle-income Americans. Not only did he raise the $500 billion that was already in the bill, it's now clear that his mandate, as described by the Supreme Court, is a tax.
Crawford: But does that mean the mandate in the state of Massachusetts under your health care law also is a tax, and that you raised taxes as governor?
Romney: Actually the chief justice, in his opinion, made it very clear that at the state level, states have the power to put in place mandates. They don't need to require them to be called taxes in order for them to be constitutional. And as a result, Massachusetts' mandate was a mandate, was a penalty, was described that way by the legislature and by me. And so it stays as it was.
Crawford: So at the state level, you're saying the Supreme Court says that's different? That the federal government--
Continue reading here:
Romney: Health care mandate a "tax"
- How good is fish for your diet? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- What foods have both fiber and protein? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Is There Evidence That Acupuncture Works? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- What are some good fiber foods? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Can Green Tea fight HIV infection? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Quality of GNC Supplements [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Gene Smart Diet [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Tips for eating in a vegetarian lifestyle [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Regarding the Starting of a new diet regimen [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Thoughts on Dropping Weight [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- What do doctors think about vitamin E supplements? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- What herbs or supplements are commonly used for depression? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Is there a safe way to lose a lot of weight? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Diets that promise you will lose weight [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Are Fish Toxins Linked to Diabetes? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Can Plastic Surgery Help Migraines? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Weight Loss Surgery Eradicates Diabetes Symptoms [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Found: A Gene That Controls Fat Cells [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Sugars and Starches, what's the difference? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Improving your health with a serving of nuts? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Is Your Diet Causing You To Be Depressed? [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Placebo Effect: Magnetic Bracelet Therapy [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Does serotonin promote sleep? [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Decreased energy levels - Overeating, Sleep, Nutrition [Last Updated On: February 1st, 2010] [Originally Added On: February 1st, 2010]
- When will the body begin to cannibalize muscle tissue? [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2010]
- Foods that are high in antioxidants [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2010]
- Editorial: Reduce health care costs by cutting administrative overhead [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2012]
- Health Care Winners: Centene, Onyxx [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- Dan Morain: Nurses union puts politics ahead of health [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- What's next if Obamacare falls? [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- Global Managed Health Care Services Industry [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- Immigration Fight Echoes Health-Care Case at High Court [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- Medical Centers Lead Workplace Wellness Effort [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- The next health care overhaul? Look to employers [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- Capital BlueCross Hosts Community Health Care Forums Focused on Managing Costs While Maintaining Quality [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- County committee to look at area health care [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- President Obama Calls on Students to Tell Congress: #DontDoubleMyRate - Video [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- Sen. Coburn: Competition in Health Care to Allocate Resources - Video [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- Jesse Kelly health care - Video [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2012]
- PHC Vision Statement (short version) - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- The Bioeconomy Blueprint Panel - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Providence Health Care's Vision Statement - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Department of Health and Human Services: Minority Health Blogger Townhall - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Health care worker accused of stealing identities of brain i - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Health Care Reform, Part 1 of 3 | KYVE Insiders Roundtable - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Health Care Reform: The ACA and Beyond - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Is Broccoli Like Health Insurance? - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Did Obama make a mistake on health care? - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- How Democrats Lie About Health Care - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Toobin on Health Care: This was a "judicial hissy-fit" - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- President Obama says health care law will stand - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Obama Defends Health Care Law From 'Judicial Activism' - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Obama Healthcare Individual Mandate - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- President Obama attacks Supreme Court on health care - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Raw Audio: High Court Dissects Health Care Act - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Health care on trial - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Final Day of Health Care Law Arguments Before Supreme Court - Video [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2012] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2012]
- Feds to put up $1.9B for Oregon health overhaul [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- Scuttling health care act will freeze Medicare, White House warns [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- U.S. Health Care Spending High, But Quality Lags: Report [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- Yes, the Health-Care Mandate Is About Liberty [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- Health center gets $1M federal grant [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- Health-care reform panel considers exchange options for Va. [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- Hmong health care gap focus of Healthy House dinner [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- Walsh-led health bill to be unveiled [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- Ontario health system confusing for ailing seniors, study finds [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2012]
- 'Health Care Deserts' More Common in Black Neighborhoods [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- With federal money, Oregon kicks health care reform into high gear [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- Nurse practitioners tackling more 'doctor' tasks [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- Konza Prairie Health Center Receives $4.5 Million Grant [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- Alberta wages hurting Sask. health care [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- House releases plan to cut growth of Massachusetts health spending in half [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- Mass. House Will Unveil Bill Seeking To Rein In Health Costs [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- President Obama Welcomes the Kentucky Wildcats - Video [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- President Obama Speaks on College Affordability - Video [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- My First Job: Gene Sperling - Video [Last Updated On: May 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 5th, 2012]
- Health-care costs worry near-retirees [Last Updated On: May 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 7th, 2012]
- Massachusetts Institutes Health-Care Price Controls. Is America Next? [Last Updated On: May 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 7th, 2012]
- Massachusetts Moves Toward Health-Care Price Controls. Is America Next? [Last Updated On: May 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 7th, 2012]
- GOP plan boosts Pentagon, cuts social programs [Last Updated On: May 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: May 7th, 2012]