Long time coming: why health reform finally passed

Health Aff (Millwood). 2010 Jun;29(6):1112-6. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0447.

Abstract

Health reformers have an established record of losing. Going into 2009, there were plenty of reasons to believe that they would fail again. A polarized political environment, soaring budget deficits, and myriad other obstacles stood in the way. Yet the Obama administration and congressional Democrats defied the odds. Democrats won the 2009-10 health reform battle by successfully applying lessons learned from past failures, including the importance of neutralizing interest-group opposition. The result is historic legislation that, given the constraints imposed by both the U.S. political and health systems, is probably as good as it gets.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Budgets / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Federal Government
  • Health Care Reform / history
  • Health Care Reform / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Health Care Sector / legislation & jurisprudence
  • History, 20th Century
  • History, 21st Century
  • Politics
  • United States