The reason, as it was explained to me back in 2009, was that the core of the ACA was identical to the plan that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney had proposed and signed into law in that state in 2006: “ObamaCare” would be “RomneyCare” with a new coat of paint. With Romney the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for the 2012 presidential election, few Republicans would be able to vote against what was their candidate’s signature legislative initiative as governor.
事实上，奥巴马在背后大力推进了复杂的ACA。我在2009年得到的原因解释是，ACA的核心与前马萨诸塞州州长罗姆尼所提议、并于2006年写入州法律的内容别无二致：“奥巴马医保”只不过是在“罗姆尼医保”的外面披上一张画皮罢了。当时罗姆尼是共和党推定的2012年总统选举候选人，因此共和党无法投票反对本方候选人在州长任上签署的立法中的内容。因此，不出所料的话，美国国会将以稳健的两党多数通过ACA，奥巴马将证明他可以克服华盛顿的党派藩篱。