Scott Brown hails Romney's 'courage' in healthcare speech

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) healthcare speech drew quick support from fellow Bay State Sen. Scott Brown (R), who called Romney's defense of the state's healthcare plan "courageous."

Brown, who's up for reelection in the typically Democratic state next fall, offered Romney political reinforcement following the former governor's highly anticipated healthcare speech on Thursday.

"Governor Romney showed a lot of courage today by standing his ground on the reforms he put in place in Massachusetts," Brown said in a statement. "What he did as governor worked for Massachusetts by getting health insurance to more people."

Brown's on the record as supporting Romney in the Republican presidential primary, and the two share a largely overlapping political operation based in Boston.

Romney refused to apologize for the state healthcare plan he signed into law as governor, despite conservatives' complaint that it compares largely to the reform law President Obama signed last year.

He faced a quick rebuke from former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), a fellow Republican vying for the party's presidential nomination, though other conservatives have held their fire.

Brown was unabashed, though, in his praise for Romney, as well as the plan the former governor outlined for replacing Obama's law.

"Now he has laid out his plan for the nation, which unlike ObamaCare does not require a vast expansion of the federal government and a half-trillion dollars in new taxes," Brown said. "Instead, he would return to the states the power to determine their own healthcare solutions, which is where it belongs.”