Rivals Chide Romney on Health Care Plan

Mitt Romney's top rivals are reminding voters that Massachusetts residents have until Thursday to sign up for health insurance or face possible penalties — a requirement that Romney signed into law when he was governor.

Massachusetts residents had to sign up by Nov. 15 or they likely would face tax penalties starting Jan. 1. It is the stick that follows the carrot of previous deadlines requiring the state to expand subsidized coverage, or for private insurers to offer less expensive policies to the uninsured.

Such mandates are anathema to fiscal conservatives and other bedrock GOP voters who oppose government intrusion, explaining the silence by Romney and the criticism from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and other candidates also vying for conservative votes.

"Before I forget, for all of you in Massachusetts who aren't signed up for health insurance, you have until Thursday before you get stuck with a fine," Maria Comella, Giuliani's spokeswoman, wrote in signing off a daily schedule update for political reporters.

Another Giuliani aide, in an unsolicited e-mail, suggested a question for Romney during his campaign swing through New Hampshire on Monday: "With Nov. 15th being the last day to sign up for health care in Massachusetts, how many businesses and individuals do you expect to ultimately be fined for not complying with this mandate?"

Similar jabs have been leveled by aides to rivals Fred Thompson and John McCain. McCain recently told a health care forum that while he favored universal college education, he would not require it. "I feel the same way about health care," the Arizona senator said.