During President Barack Obama's first term, few issues have provided more frustration for him than health care. The process leading to the bill that was passed a year ago was long and arduous, and Obama faced a lot of criticism along the way.
Whether it was from liberals who thought the plan wasn't comprehensive enough, or conservatives who were vehemently opposed to the government playing any role whatsoever in the health care business, Obama found it quite difficult to please anyone on this subject.
Things didn't get much better this past January, when the House Republicans passed a bill repealing Obama's health care plan. Granted, the bill was largely symbolic, as the Senate quickly voted it down. Still, the message was clear; many were unhappy with the current state of health care.
That's why on Monday, Obama made an appeal to the right on this subject, making a proposal that would allow greater state flexibility when it came to health care reform.
Essentially, if a state disagreed with the current health care system, it could implement its own plan, but only if the new plan was just as feasible as the current plan.
Naturally, this has led to some controversy. Many on the left feel that Obama has made too many appeals to the right lately, such as his compromise on upper-class tax cuts, and his Wall Street Journal op-ed calling for deregulation in many industries.
Considering that President Bush rarely appealed to the left during his administration, many people are frustrated with the efforts that Obama is taking to appeal to the right. In the simplest sense, they believe he is going too far.
The Spectrum, however, does not feel this way. While we understand the left's desire to have Obama take more consideration of its beliefs and demands, we don't believe Obama is giving up a great deal with this proposal. Plus, we find it a good thing that the president is not simply appealing to his party's desires; he is doing what he feels is best for the nation.
Keep this in mind: in order for states to be able to install their own health care plans, they would have to meet several key requirements. Their plans would provide coverage just as comprehensive and affordable as Obama's plan, and they would have to cover just as many people, and not add anything to the federal deficit.
If anything, Obama is issuing a challenge to the right. Republicans think they can pass a health care plan better than his; he's letting them try, albeit on his own terms.
It is unknown how this will play out. Perhaps, many states will implement their own health care plans; perhaps, they will find themselves unable to meet the requirements laid out in Obama's proposal.
What we can say with confidence, however, is that Obama is not giving too much ground with this proposal. He is simply letting states take their own approach to what is a highly controversial issue.
