With Barack Obama in the White House, large Democratic majorities in Congress, and a relentless focus in Washington on healthcare, this could have been the year the US finally joined the community of nations which guarantee healthcare for all their people.
But despite the alignment of these political stars, the escalating financial meltdown of the US healthcare system, and numerous polls showing overwhelming public support for systemic change, it looks like the opportunity could be lost again.
To be sure, something should be signed: "We're going to make it happen this year," President Obama repeated in a town hall meeting on 1 July. But at the price of accommodating conservatives in Congress, corporate interests, and the healthcare industry, Obama and the Democrats are poised to leave the private insurance system, largely responsible for the present crisis, entrenched in place.
Unlike many of his predecessors, President Obama has even praised the national health care systems that are second nature to citizens of the UK and other industrialised countries.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/09/healthcare-reform-obama-nurses