A Lost Cause: Bill Clinton's Campaign for National Health Insurance

by Nicholas Laham

Overview

Bill Clinton's 1993-94 health care reform initiative was one of the most active and sustained presidential campaigns ever undertaken in support of a single social issue, and certainly the boldest attempt to establish national health insurance in the United States. An analysis of the Clinton campaign, therefore, reveals much about the politics of divided government in the late 20th century, the apparent end of the New Deal-Great Society approach to governance and the enduring democratic coalition which supported it, and, of course, the high stakes politics of health care reform. This study attempts to advance our understanding of why national health insurance has proven to be such a potent idea while seemingly impossible to accomplish. The work focuses on the political factors which derailed the Clintons' health care reform initiative, providing a case study of a most significant modern-day political and policy battle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275956110
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/24/1996
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)
Lexile:	1620L (what's this?)

About the Author

Nicholas Laham holds a PhD from the Claremont Graduate School in California and is the author of Why the United States Lacks a National Health Insurance Program (Greenwood, 1993), a Choice Outstanding Academic Book for 1994.

Table of Contents

Preface
The Political Obstacles to Health Care Reform
Clinton's National Health Insurance Plan: Addressing the Health Care Crisis
The Financial Relationship Between Congress and the Health Care Industry
The Health Care Industry Opposes Clinton's National Health Insurance Plan
The Republican Party Launches Its Campaign to Defeat Clinton's National Health Insurance Plan
Business Opposes Clinton's National Health Insurance Plan
The Division Within the Democratic Party Over National Health Insurance
The Collapse of Clinton's Health Care Reform Initiative
Why Did Clinton's Health Care Initiative Fall?
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This timely work equips the reader with a clear understanding of the failure of Clinton's initiative. The autopsy of events and forces yields many lessons regarding future endeavors to launch a wake-up call for health care reform. Recommended for all academic audiences, undergraduate through faculty.” —Choice

From the Publisher

Analyzes the factors behind Clinton's failure to secure passage of a national health insurance bill in the 103rd Congress, despite strong pubic interest in and support for health care reform. Chapters discuss political obstacles to health care reform, the financial relationship between Congress and the health care industry, the republican party's campaign to defeat the national health insurance plan, business opposition to the plan, and divisions within the Democratic party over the plan. For general readers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews