The debate over the creation of a nationwide, public health—care system has been a long and bitter conflict, with several iterations over the decades. Many attempts have been made at a nationalized form of healthcare, but all have eventually failed in the face of strong, often Republican-backed opposition. The controversy is not entirely misplaced; the implementation of a nationwide health-care system would be one of the largest American policy shifts in decades, a monumental decision. As the Democrats spearheaded efforts to revive the healthcare debate during the latest election, most notably by candidates Hillary Clinton and now-President Barack Obama, it is fitting that their new figurehead continue the fight to bring a nationalized system of healthcare to America Directly opposed to the White House’s efforts have been the Republican bloc in.
Congress, who, despite their fragmented nature in recent months, have mounted several highly publicized efforts to derail the Obama Administration’s attempts to unify the Democratic base in favor of universal health care.
As the Obama administration is the chief proponent of universal health care for the United States, their efforts must be examined first President Obama has maintained the need for healthcare reform since early in the election; as early as mid-2007, Obama presented a prototype of his healthcare plan to the American Public (Conroy, 1). At this time, his plans included a full retention of the current private healthcare system; instead of scrapping private insurance, the plan called for subsidizing insurers to expand coverage, as well as regulation for the new funding, Ironically, Obama’s efforts were seen by the media as a conservative effort compared to then-candidate John Edwards’ proposal to cover all Americans.
Though Obama’s efforts to publicize healthcare reform did create media attention early on in the election cycle, his work was soon overshadowed by the massive media coverage that accompanied the United States’ staggering economic decline.
As a result, the healthcare debate remained dormant, with little accompanying controversy, It was not until long after the election of Barack Obama to the presidency that the healthcare debate reappeared and it was not until the summer of 2009 that the controversy surrounding healthcare reached its current fervor Republicans in Congress have met Obama’s efforts with steep controversy; even though their significantly reduced numbers and fragmented leadership have hampered Republican unity and strength, their sometimes wild endeavors have garnered a huge amount of media attention.
The Efforts of the Obama Administration in Publicizing the Health-Care System. (2023, Mar 10). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/the-efforts-of-the-obama-administration-in-publicizing-the-health-care-system/