Romney takes a dip in the healthcare pool

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, on the GOP presidential campaign trail Friday, outlined a "market-based" healthcare plan, his campaign Web site said.

In a prepared speech set for the Florida Medical Association, Romney outlined a strategy he said would keep the best parts of the present system.

Romney would make private health insurance more affordable by "fostering vibrant and competitive heath insurance markets in each of the 50 states, reforming the tax code to make it cheaper for individuals to buy private insurance and helping the low-income buy the private insurance of their choice.

The strategy also would end subsidized care for "free riders," by redirecting funds -- now used to subsidize free care for millions of uninsured Americans -- to help low-income people buy their own private health insurance. States could craft their own programs and their own eligibility requirements.

Other steps would include expansion of health savings accounts and revision of the tax code to reward "smart" decisions in healthcare spendings.