I am finishing the book Winner-Take-All Politics by Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, and I came across the following passage on page 291 about Obama's health care bill:
The passage of comprehensive reform in 2010 was a remarkable achievement. And yet, meaningful legislation required enormous concessions to organized interests. Before the process even started, key industry players, from doctors to hospitals to drug companies, saw their main concerns addressed. To mollify these groups, reforms that would have allowed critically needed cost-containment while offering more secure and affordable coverage to the middle class--from the public option to effective bargaining over drug costs--were dropped. We say this not to criticize the Obama administration or its allies. Had these huge compromises not been made, health-care reform would not have passed.
In other words, to pass a health care reform bill the Obama administration had to drop anything that would have reformed health care. Passing a health care reform bill that doesn't reform health care is a remarkable achievement. The Obama administration and congressional Democrats should be very proud.
