Obama’s healthcare reform stumbles…

Unless you’ve been living on another planet for the last few weeks, you will know that the primary issue in America at the moment isn’t terrorism, unemployment or the dismal state of the economy, but healthcare. Rebuilding the economy and reforming America’s healthcare system were the domestic centrepieces of Obama’s successful election campaign. In his latest post Robin Lustig, the BBC’s eloquent and insightful host of The World Tonight show noted that since his inauguration, Obama has used the word “health” more often than “Iraq”, “Iran”, “Afghanistan”, and “terrorism” combined. In recent months, President Obama has expended a huge amount of political capital pushing through stimulus packages, climate change legislation and now he is attempting to single-handedly reform America’s healthcare system, which by any means is no easy task – perhaps for his next trick the President should try and tackle America’s ludicrous stubbornness regarding the 2nd amendment.

Currently in America over 46 million people are either uninsured or have inadequate health insurance. Over the last few weeks hundreds of people have been flooding into town halls across America to discuss the health care proposals with their local representatives. Huge amounts of controversy have followed these meetings with suggestions that GOP members have deliberately attempted to derail and disseminate the real message behind the reform plans, by accusing Obama and the democratic party of wanting to create so-called ‘death panels’ which would prevent certain members of society from receiving treatment. In several states the meetings have been attended by constituents carrying assault-rifles; why on Earth you would find it necessary to go to a local town meeting bearing a weapon capable of firing 700-900 rounds per minute is completely beyond me…

Various media outlets *cough* Fox *cough*, lobbying groups and partisan politicians are attempting to put the final nail into Obama’s healthcare reform. Once again even Democrats can’t agree as a party on how the reform is to be achieved or orchestrated. Many people outside of America have the opinion that the country is run by two monolithic ideologically opposed parties, but that just isn’t true. Yes there may be certain ideas and themes that unite the majority of the party, but the real issues are often based upon pure state-by-state demographics, issues that may be at the forefront of Californian politics are certainly not as important in the southern heartlands of Alabama or Texas.

Despite President Obama’s heroic attempts to drag America’s healthcare system kicking and screaming into the 21st century, many members of his’ own party are now refusing to throw their political weight behind the new proposals. Recently in an attempt to mollify left-leaning Republicans, the White House insinuated that it was perhaps willing to abandon the government-run insurance programme. However, this attempt to garner support on the right has inflamed the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, who threatened to withdraw their support if the scheme was not part of the legislation. Both the Republican Party and the more centrist ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats are opposed to this idea of a government run insurance scheme, with the far left in rebellion, the President will need further support to pass a progressive healthcare reform, hence his willingness to appease the centre by dropping the ‘public option’.

The House of Representatives and the Senate are still currently working on their versions of the bill, and it is likely to take till the end of October before some form of legislation is presented to both houses, the bill will then go to the President’s desk for his signature or veto.

Hope springs eternal...