Reply #92: Did the Clintons begin their process by meeting with health insurers, big PHRMA, etc.?

[No Elephants]

In fairness to the Clintons (not my heros), many Presidents since Ted Roosevelt, including Nixon, wanted a health care plan for all Americans. None succeeded until: (1)age was making boomers too expensive for health insurers AND boomers, healthy or not, were aging into Medicare; (2) a plan was proposed with mandates, including for the young and healthy, but no public options OR significant cost controls, expanded Medicaid and expanded drug coverage--which some consider a pre-emptive bailout of several health-related industries--; (3) a Democrat in the WH (and the VP slot, if needed), an overwhelming majority of Democrats in the House and sixty Democrats in the Senate--enough for reconciliation despite stubborn DINOS; and (4) Ted Kennedy did not kill it for political reasons, as he had with Nixon (ostensibly on behalf of Democratic administrations, in general) and Carter (on behalf, apparently of his own Presidential hopes).

IOW, one Democrat's idea of great leadership may well be another Democrat's idea of, well, let's call it a particular confluence of circumstances that has never occurred before.