Altman Part 2

The part of this section of the book that got to me was how many presidents and members of the U.S. legislative branch attempted to get national health reform passed but failed due to many different circumstances. Many failed due to the power struggle in the legislative branch, where there was frequently never a party in control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate during any one presidency. Others failed due to the general public's unwillingness to trust anything that gave the federal government more power than they thought it should have. Many different leaders in Congress tried to pass health care legislation, but almost every one failed. Each time, the new proposal was shot down by a party, group of legislators, or even individuals who felt that some part was unfair. Bit by bit, more legislation was eventually passed through Congress, however, and that finally culminated in the 1990s with the passage of the MMA. This bill was the first major expansion of Medicare since its induction in 1965. It gave more health care benefits to the old, especially those in poverty, by helping them out with the expenses of prescription drugs that they tended to buy frequently. Prescription drugs had never been insured before, and this technique was revolutionary in the United States especially. It also provided insurance to millions of children who lived in families that were under the poverty line, enabling them to get benefits that they had never before been able to obtain. These ideas took many years to pass, with many representatives aggressively opposing them. It took may powerful people in the government for these bills to pass into law, but when they finally were, they were immensely successful. Poverty rates of both children and the elderly have both decreased, and the budget that was set for them has continued to shrink due to continued coverage. No one predicted how successful they have been, and they have been and continue to be an integral part of the national health care system of the country.