Comparative Analysis of US Health Policy Reform: Clinton and Obama

This report provides a comparative analysis of the healthcare reform efforts of President Clinton and President Obama. It examines the reasons behind the differing outcomes of their respective attempts to pass national healthcare reform legislation, focusing on factors such as political unity, strategies employed, and the influence of stakeholders. The analysis highlights the key differences in their approaches, the lessons learned from both attempts, and the impacts of various stakeholders, including the health industry. The report also discusses the significance of unity within the Democratic Party and the role of interested groups in the success of Obama's reform, contrasting it with the divisions that hindered Clinton's efforts. Furthermore, it explores the long-term implications for health law and policy, emphasizing the ongoing need for reform and the importance of stakeholder engagement.

Running head: HEALTH POLICY 1
Health Law and Policy
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Date

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1. Clinton’s healthcare policy far much ambitious regarding the affordable cost and care and
the system involved budgeting globally. The healthcare reform policy included insuring
almost all the young people below 65 years to be given state insurance exchanges. This
Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed the exchanges for only some small group and
individuals. There were no strategies to control the cost and no limits on premiums.
President Clinton got it difficult to conquer all such limiting factors though the ACA was
conducive to the healthcare industries. Afterward, the Democrats learned from Clinton’s
plan failed, and they adjusted the policy accordingly. The Democratic Party then became
more unified and strengthened by the more interested group, and Obama was able to
succeed in adopting the legislation reform. Obama also benefitted due to the reform
consensus that arose within the years up to 2009 which involved Democratic
congressional leaders and interested groups (Brandon, & Carnes, 2014).
2. I think the two efforts to pass the health reform both from the Democratic Party because
the two presidents had different strategies and the Democrats were not fully united. At
the time of President Clinton, the Democrats had some divisions and different ideas
towards the healthcare reform legislation. I think lack of unity in the Democratic Party
made Clinton’s efforts to pass the poly to fail while the unity in the Democratic Party and
presence of interested group during Obama’s time made him succeed in his effort to pass
the healthcare legislation (Brandon, & Carnes, 2014).
3. The lessons learned from both Clinton’s and Obama’s attempt to reforming the
healthcare policy is that unity remains a factor to consider among your party colleagues.
Uniting the Democrats and the interested and supportive stakeholders are what

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contributed to the Obama’s efforts to succeed which was a major reason for the failure in
Clinton’s attempts. The other lessons that the next President had to learn are that
Although Obama passed the health reform, he faced much limited political benefits out of
it. It is also a reality that as long as the healthcare sector is a concern the president will
have no way to avoid it but to prompt another effort to reform the act (Oleszek, Oleszek,
Rybicki & Heniff Jr, 2015)
4. The health industry stakeholders contributed to the passing of Obama’s attempts in the
healthcare reform for they had made beneficial deals with Democrats administration. In
the failure of Clinton’s attempt, there were several divisions towards supporting his
healthcare legislation plan. The industrial health stakeholders had their specific features
of interest towards the reform and since there were no deals for beneficial negations with
the Democrats the Industrial health stakeholders were against the reform (Lambrew,
2018).
5. For the success of Obama’s reform attempt the industrial health groups had a greater
impact in that they were promised to have millions of newly insured patient’s to treat and
were willing to accept the health reform where they supported if financially and
politically. For the failure on Clinton’s attempts was due to the minimal influence of
weak interested group/health industry and the democrat's stakeholders had limited
amount over the savings they could get from health industry (Starr, 2015).

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Reference
Brandon, W. P., & Carnes, K. (2014). Federal health insurance reform and" exchanges":
recent history. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 25(1), xxxii-
lvii.
Brandon, W. P., & Carnes, K. (2014). Pascal's Wager: health insurance exchanges,
Obamacare, and the Republican dilemma. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and
Law, 39(1), 97-137.
Lambrew, J. M. (2018). Getting Ready for Health Reform 2020: What Past Presidential
Campaigns Can Teach Us. Commonwealth Fund, June, 26.
Oleszek, W. J., Oleszek, M. J., Rybicki, E., & Heniff Jr, B. (2015). Congressional
procedures and the policy process. CQ press.
Starr, P. (2015). The Health-Care Legacy of the Great Society. LBJ’s Neglected Legacy:
How Lyndon Johnson Reshaped Domestic Policy and Government, edited by
Norman J. Glickman, Laurence E. Lynn, and Robert H. Wilson, 235-58.