A Historic Reform

The health care reform the U.S. House of Representatives hurriedly approved constitutes a historic triumph for President Barack Obama, who has gambled his political future on realizing that which six of his predecessors, from Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, have not. Despite the fact that his popularity will be paradoxically eroded and his own political party has been divided, thanks to the new legislation, more than 32 million citizens will begin to receive health coverage and will leave behind a state of helplessness as unjustified as it was harmful to the social cohesion of the country. The reform corrects the regulation of the private health care sector, which benefited insurance companies more occupied with rejecting insurance claims and bringing litigation against their clients than guaranteeing the quality of their service. This deals with a victory in its second round, given that the surprising election of Republican congressman Scott Brown, in Massachusetts in January, nearly ruined the plans of Obama’s team. However, the president took the error and turned it around in an impassioned negotiation for reform, this time giving up on an agreement with the Republicans and ceding to the demands of the defenders of pro-life in his own party who do not wish to include federal financing for abortions. The cost of high risk politics carried by the first black president of the United States is yet to be written. but nobody can change history. It is certain that the voting on Sunday night demonstrated the extent to which the legislative body was divided into two almost equal halves and, without a doubt, in the elections in November the Republican candidates will utilize the argument that the reform potentially carries a high economic cost. It is very likely that after the elections the president will have to work with a Republican majority. However, Obama accomplished one of his political objectives and will be able to modulate his politics around the center in order to make a foundation for reelection, as long as the economic recession doesn’t end up thwarting the realization of his campaign promises.