Is There Life in Health Care Reform?

Elizabeth Drew has a very interesting and important article on this question in the current issue of the New York Review of Books. Drew discusses the Senate's consideration of the bill last fall -- with the ugly dealmaking that turned off much of the public -- as well as the Democrats' loss of confidence following the Massachusetts Senate election. The article is dated February 9, so it does not take account of the renewed effort for reform over the past two weeks. But Drew provides essential background for understanding what has been going on recently -- and the obstacles that President Obama and the congressional leadership will have to overcome if the bill is to be passed.