Governor Mitt Romney released the following statement regarding the President's State of the Union Address:

"We are blessed to live in a country with the best medical system in the world. However, for too many, private health insurance is often out of reach. I welcome President Bush's proposed initiatives to make health insurance more available and affordable. He recognizes the answer is not more government but more innovation, harnessing the power of free market reforms.

"I am especially encouraged by the President's initiative to help states find new solutions for individuals to buy health insurance. I believe the states are our best laboratories to find the best policy innovations to our health insurance crisis. As Governor, my state found a way to get all of our citizens covered without a tax increase and without a big government takeover."