The Affordable Care Act was based on what, until very recently, was considered a conservative model. Various factors have caused the conservative movement to invest itself in the notion that this idea is now socialism and the worst thing in the history of America. So now previous conservative advocates of this model are furiously revising history.
The Heritage Foundation, which Obama cited as one model for his plan, had an op-ed in the Washington Post denying the similarities between its health care plan and the Affordable Care Act. Tim Noah dissects the spin here.