Mitt Romney is wooing conservatives as a candidate for the Republican Presidential nominee. He is also one of the architects of the yet to be proven successful Massachusetts health insurance mandate.

Romney has recently revealed his healthcare plan for the nation. Although he was instrumental of developing the Massachusetts affordable healthcare insurance mandate law when he was governor of that state, his plan for the nation departs significantly from it.

Reveled recently before the Florida Medical Association the healthcare reform plan reflects Romney’s need to appeal to conservatives if he wants the Republican for the White House. Unlike the health insurance reform he helped devise for the much more liberal state of Massachusetts, his current proposal for the nation calls for providing affordable health insurance though tax and federal incentives. The plan also calls for other changes that will create a free market in which consumers are encouraged to buy private health insurance.

Romney’s most notable exception in his national health insurance plan, is the one that made his Massachusetts plan so ground breaking, and so disturbing to conservatives: the Mandate. Romney’s national health insurance plan does not call for such a mandate. On the stump Mr. Romney holds up the legislation he helped to conceive for Massachusetts. He uses that health insurance reform plan as an example of how creating a free market can work to help those without access to affordable medical coverage. However he almost never mentions the idea that it forces people to purchase insurance, and businesses to provide health insurance, or face penalties.

Instead of the mandate for the country Romney proposes a federalized system in which the federal government will provide incentives and assistance for those who cannot afford medical coverage to obtain affordable healthcare insurance. According to the former Governor, he sees the 47 million Americans without health insurance falling in to three categories. One third are those who qualify for existing federal health insurance programs but have not enrolled. A second third are those who are low-income wage earners, who earn too much to qualify for public programs but cannot afford to purchase private health insurance. And the final third are middle class earners who have chosen not to purchase health insurance because they believe it is just too costly.

His plan will target the needs of the three groups separately. A public awareness campaign will be launched to make sure those who qualify for assistance apply and obtain their benefits. His plan for tax breaks and federal subsidies will bring affordable health insurance products within reach of the other two groups.