ABSTRACT
Health care reform returned to the American political agenda in 1999, when the media once again were filled with stories documenting the numerous ills of American medicine. The chapter considers three additional options, each of which raises different political and administrative issues: the federalist option; the pincer strategy; and the single-payer approach. That health reform returned to the political agenda far sooner than most policy analysts anticipated should come as no surprise to veteran observers of American politics. Some analysts claim the institutional barriers to comprehensive reform are so strong that it will be impossible to achieve universal health insurance without first enacting constitutional reforms that radically alter American government. All of the plans offered in 2000 —; by Bradley, Bush, and Gore —;avoided addressing these issues; and consequently none of them offered a compelling vision for the future of American medical care. The chapter concludes the feasibility of health reform under various combinations of political and economic circumstances.
