The last president to successfully take on the giant healthcare lobbies was LBJ. He got Medicare and Medicaid enacted because he weighed into the details, twisted congressional arms, threatened and cajoled, drew lines in the sand, and went to war against the AMA and the other giant lobbyists standing in the way. The question now is how much LBJ is in Barack Obama.
Read this piece if only to see the unbelievable amount of money that has been spent by the AMA, Big Insurance, and Big Pharma to influence this debate. For me, it's the most compelling argument that our healthcare system is driven by Big Profit - and that healthcare costs can and should come down. For more, try this column which argues that US citizens need a healthcare option that is national in scale.
