Obama Tries His Magic On Healthcare Reform

Published in El Mundo
(Spain) on 17 August 2009
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by William O'Brien. Edited by Christie Chu.
Facing death threats and opposition from insurance and pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. president struggles to realize the priority of his first year in office: the reform of the American healthcare system.

Critics are falling behind due to lack of leadership in the process as well as the bureaucratization of the same. Obama is putting a large portion of his credibility on the line for a project that his democratic predecessor, Bill Clinton, has already stumbled over.

The push for Obamacare claims “popular support” and assures us that his country is “closer than ever” to another historic change. What’s certain is that the plan to extend coverage to 46 million people - which shouldn’t be understood as the re-creation of European Social Security - is stuck in Congress.

It will be in September, with the return of camera activity, that he will face the test of fire. Meanwhile, Obama is shifting the debate to where he is more comfortable, with his feet on the ground, using testimonies (the death of his grandmother) that try to convince the U.S. that his reform does not contain measures in favor of abortion or euthanasia.


FRENTE A amenazas de muerte y a la oposición de compañías aseguradoras y farmacéuticas lucha el presidente de EEUU para materializar la prioridad de su primer año de mandato: la reforma del sistema de salud norteamericano. Atrás quedan las críticas por su falta de liderazgo en el proceso y la burocratización del mismo. Obama pone en liza gran parte de su crédito en un proyecto con el que ya tropezó su antecesor demócrata en la Casa Blanca, Bill Clinton. El impulsor del Obamacare reclama «respaldo popular» y asegura que su país está «más cerca que nunca» de obrar otro cambio histórico. Lo cierto es que el plan para ampliar la cobertura de 46 millones de personas, que no debe entenderse como la creación de una Seguridad Social a la europea, está bloqueado en el Congreso. Será en septiembre, con la vuelta de la actividad a la cámara, cuando afronte su prueba de fuego. Mientras, Obama resitúa el debate donde le es cómodo, a pie de calle, con testimonios (la muerte de su abuela) que tratan de convencer de que tras la reforma no hay medidas a favor del aborto o la eutanasia.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Japan: Trump Administration: Absurd Censorship

Germany: Trump’s Peace Plan: Too Good To Be True

Thailand: Southeast Asia Amid the US-China Rift

Austria: The Showdown in Washington Is about More Than the Budget

Taiwan: Can Benefits from TikTok and Taiwan Be Evaluated the Same Way?

Topics

Germany: Trump’s Peace Plan: Too Good To Be True

Mexico: The Kirk Paradox

Turkey: Cost of Trumping in the 21st Century: Tested in Europe, Isolated on Gaza

Austria: The Showdown in Washington Is about More Than the Budget

Singapore: Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan – Some Cause for Optimism, but Will It Be Enough?

Singapore: US Visa Changes Could Spark a Global Talent Shift: Here’s Where Singapore Has an Edge

Thailand: Could Ukraine Actually End Up Winning?

Related Articles

Spain: Spain’s Defense against Trump’s Tariffs

Spain: Shooting Yourself in the Foot

Spain: King Trump: ‘America Is Back’

Spain: Trump Changes Sides

Spain: Narcissists Trump and Musk: 2 Sides of the Same Coin?

Previous article
Next article