Universal Health Care: This Time We Get It.

[drbob]

During his campaign for President, Barack Obama promised to reform the way America delivers health care to its citizens.  Then he outlined a health care program that included:

•   Quality, Affordable & Portable Health Coverage for all
•   Modernizing The U.S. Health Care System To Lower Costs & Improve Quality
•   Promoting Prevention & Strengthening Public Health

As he begins his second month in office, Obama initiated a long-range plan to keep that campaign promise.  Right now an estimated 46 million Americans are currently without health-care insurance and millions more have insurance that is inadequate for their needs. 

Fifteen years ago (1993), the Clinton administration attempted to overhaul American health care and failed completely.  Today, Obama's people say it will be different.  What's different?  Today, most Americans want the federal government to provide national health insurance.  A CBS/New York Times poll found that 59% of Americans want a national health-care system, while 32% want it left to private enterprise.  In addition, the stake holders who fought against the Clinton program 15 years ago are more open engaging in the conversation today.  Finally, both Democrats and Republicans, while differing on the structure of a program, seem to want health-care reform.  John McCain, in his presidential campaign, offered his version of a national health-care program. 

One mistake the Clintons made was to come to Congress with a health-care plan written and more or less non-negotiable.  Obama will do it in a different way.  He recently hosted a health-care forum that included all interested parties.  The purpose was to get ideas and to get Congress started toward enacting a comprehensive program.  Obama will allow the program to come out of Congress rather than dictating the program to Congress. 
It is time for us to do this.  As the President said in opening his health-care forum: The lack of a comprehensive health-care program is..."one of the greatest threats not only to the well-being of our families and the prosperity of our businesses but to the very foundation of our economy."   However, he conceded that "Each of us must accept that none of us will get everything we want, and that no proposal for reform will be perfect."

There are many special interests involve in this fight, and Americans are not certain what system makes the most sense to them, so the fight over this reform will be long and intense.  All we can say is bring it on.