Romney calls his health reforms 'Romneycare' at GOP debate

Mitt Romney referred to his health insurance reform law in Massachusetts as "Romneycare" in Wednesday's GOP debate, a rare occurrence for a candidate who usually shies away from the term.

After Rick Santorum attacked him on the issue, Romney responded.

"Let's not forget that four years ago, long after Romneycare was put in place, four years ago you not only endorsed me, you went on Laura Ingraham and said this is a guy who is really conservative and we can trust him," Romney said.

This is the second time Romney has used the term during a GOP debate after a Republican rival attacked him using the term; he rarely if ever uses the term without being prompted to do so.

Democrats have similar issues with the term "Obamacare." Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), now the Democratic National Committee chair, said the term was "disparaging" and tried to get its use banned from the House floor a year ago, while Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) has said Democrats should embrace the term and has at times worn an "I [heart] Obamacare" pin.

Obama himself rarely uses the term, although he said last summer that he had "no probem" with it.

"I have no problem with folks saying 'Obama cares,'" the president said in August. "I do care. If the other side wants to be the folks who don't care, that's fine with me."

---