Health Care Reform, Then and Now.

When former president Bill Clinton took office in 1992, health care reform was, much like Barack Obama, one of his top goals. Despite the Clinton administration's efforts, health care reform was not passed and was widely considered to as a government takeover. What will make this time any different for President Obama and Democrats?

To answer this question, one needs to examine the differences between the two reform efforts. The Clinton administration proposed a health care insurance mandate for all Americans, while President Obama has sidestepped around this issue both during his presidential campaign and upon entering office, saying that he does not support a complete mandate but that all Americans must be covered somehow. He has, however, made it clear that he require all children to be insured.

The words "government takeover" have certainly been used by some to describe the current administration's health care reform proposals, and similar language was used to describe Clinton's efforts in 1993. However, if health care reform is passed, it is clear that governmental involvement would be substantially less than what was proposed sixteen years ago. Under Clinton's plan, a federal national health board would have been created to oversee to health system and regulate premiums. President Obama has no intention of eliminating private insurance, but does support a public-option that would compete with private insurers. Other plans (not including a public-option), have suggested the creation of health care cooperatives.

There are similarities, though, that may indeed explain for the comparable levels of approval both health care reform attempts have achieved. Both look to cut back Medicare and Medicaid by eliminating inefficiencies in the programs. This has created a cause for concern for those on these programs. There is also the question of cost, which may be a greater concern now than it was during Clinton's administration. Republicans argued then and now that the only result is higher taxes for the American people, a prospect that has never been received with much enthusiasm.

For more on this issue, read the article posted by Huma Khan.