Have politics and health care in the U.S. always been so intertwined?
The combination of the two is absolutely nothing new. Politics have been a part of health care since at least the turn of the 20th century, when government began to involve itself very deeply in the welfare of individuals. Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Eisenhower, Truman, and every subsequent president have dealt with issues involving health care. Do current health care reform debates echo those of the past? Definitely. In fact, as part of his fair deal program more than 50 years ago, Harry Truman proposed a universal health care program. It didn’t pass, but it certainly was debated at the time, and the debate was not dissimilar to our current one. He was attacked for promoting socialism, organized medicine solidly lined up against him, and he was unable to get unity in his party for the program. More recently, Bill Clinton made health care reform and universal coverage top concerns during his first term. He received much the same type of opposition as President Obama is receiving today, and, a
