NASHVILLE--Make no mistake: Mitt Romney is proud of hissweeping health reforms inMassachusetts during his tenure as governor. But he'snot proud to be an example of how it will work for the entirenation.

"I'm proud of what we did, and believe by virtue of what we didwe helped save lives," the 2012 Republican presidential candidatetold thousands during Thursday's keynote session at the America'sHealth Insurance Plans Institute 2015. "But it's right forMassachusetts; it's not right for what should be adopted for theentire country."

Romney's roughly 20-minute speech only briefly addressed healthcare -- instead focusing on poverty, federal debt, stagnant wagesand other issues he says are hindering the country's success -- buthe addressed the question of Romneycare in a short Q&A withSusan Dentzer, senior policy adviser of the Robert Wood JohnsonFoundation and on-air health policy analyst.

"Let each state craft their own plan for what they think worksbest. if Vermont wants to be single payer, let them try... If astate wants to use clinics for low income folks, let them do that.Don't put in place Massachusetts state insurance mandaterequirements because that won't work. I recognize what happens atthe national level is going to be a problem for people."

The main reason is because Massachusetts has strict minimumcoverage requirements, which makes the plans more expensive in thestate than anywhere else, Romney explained, adding that he tried toveto the standard of the "gold-plated plans."

Because of those mandates, the state's "health insurance was themost expensive in the nation, and still is," Romney noted. WhenRomneycare was passed in 2006,"nothing changed for 93 percent of our population. We were alreadypaying for those plans," he said.

Massachusetts holds the distinction of having the lowestuninsured rate in the country. Therate hovers around 3 percent; the country's is about 14percent.

Romney, whose plan the Obama administration has said is thebasis for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, distancedhimself from the federal health care law, slamming crushingpremiums under the law and the brokenpromise that consumers could keep their health plan "if they likedit."

"When you demand that everyone had gold plated plans, premiumswill go through the roof. The real reason ... is because people arebeing forced to pay for plans that looks like Massachusettsinsurance plans."

His big worry for the country's health care system is thatlawmakers will push for a single payer system now that Obamacare iscausing those side effects.

"I think people are still trying to push for that," he said.