Rep. John Boehner (D-OH) doesn't see anything hypocritical about Mitt Romney's health care record.
The House Speaker endorsed Romney's commitment to scrapping the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, thought the presumptive Republican nominee had greenlit a similar measure when he was governor of Massachusetts.
"This is an issue that was in Massachusetts—one state," Boehner said on CBS' Face The Nation. "That's why we have 50 different states. They're laboratories of democracy. Governor Romney understands that Obamacare will bankrupt our country and ruin the best health care delivery system in the world."
Romney has come under intense scrutiny for signing a law in Massachusetts that required residents to obtain health insurance, thus making the reliably blue state one of the first to achieve near-universal coverage.
Romney has struggled to defend the Massachusetts law while simultaneously critiquing President Obama's similar health care overhaul, essentially arguing that the plan was a fine fit for Massachusetts, but not the entire nation.
Boehner said he was surprised by the Supreme Court's decision on Thursday to uphold most of the Affordable Care Act. But surprised or not, he vowed to "rip" the law out "by its roots."
"The idea that the federal government can mandate that the American people purchase a product is shocking to me," Boehner told Face The Nation host Norah O'Donnell. "But they made their decision. I respect their ability to make that decision."
The Ohio Republican added, "All it really does is strengthen my resolve and resolve of Republicans here in Washington to repeal this awful law, which is increasing the cost of health insurance for the American people and making it harder for small businesses to hire new workers."
House Republicans say they will hold a vote to repeal the law on July 11.