President\'s Agenda on Social Issues,

¶ … president's agenda on social issues, specifically health care reform. A majority of the public supported health care reform when the president was elected, but there has been no significant plan that has been approved in Congress, and neither side seems to want to budge. The country needs a plan that the Congress and the people can agree on, and it needs to happen as soon as possible for the president to maintain his credibility.

Today, health care reform is not the top priority it was when President Obama took office. People are worried about the economy, their jobs, their home values, and many are just worried about putting food on the table. However, the Democrats promised health care reform, it has fallen apart in Congress, and the revised bill is losing Republican support. In short, health care reform is in a crisis. However, the government needs to create a viable plan, and soon. Medicare is extremely expensive and it needs an overhaul. In addition, the United States is the only modernized country that does not offer health care to its residents. Everyone should be able to access affordable health care, and people should not die or go untreated if they cannot afford to pay. The country needs a plan, and it needs it quickly.

Some people question the constitutionality of mandating health care. Author Randy Barnett notes, "Professor Jost tells us that 'a basic principle of our constitutional system for the last two centuries has been that the Supreme Court is the ultimate authority on the Constitution, and the Constitution the Court now recognizes would permit Congress to adopt health care reform'" (Barnett, 2009). Others argue the Court has altered how they view the Constitution and interpret it, so the Court is skewed, and the Constitution really does not support a health care mandate by the government. This is another aspect of the debate that must be solved in order to bring health care to the people.

One of the biggest items of contention in the health care bill the Congress is debating on Capitol Hill is the "individual mandate," which requires everyone to buy some form of health insurance. Many people are against the mandate for a number of reasons, while others believe it is the only way to make sure all Americans are covered. One of the problems with the mandate is that many insurance companies are against it, and they have such power in the country, that there are capable of swaying opinions, as well as votes. Another writer notes, "Special interests have a way of lobbying legislators until the minimum benefits package is unaffordable" (Cannon, 2009). This is another part of the reform bill that needs to be addressed, and author Cannon continues, "Immediately, the special interests form a line outside the door where they define the minimum benefits package, and lobby to have their services included. The minimum benefits package grows and premiums rise" (Cannon, 2009). The insurance companies have far too much power with their lobbyists and special interests, and they wield too much power in the Congress. For the country to attain viable health care reform, the Congress must limit the power of the lobbyists and special interests, and so far, it has not been willing to do so.

There is another problem facing health care reform, and it is not just the lack of a cohesive plan. It is the power the American people vest in the president. Not just President Obama, but any president. They expect him to single-handedly cure all the ills of the nation, without regard to the problems involved, and if he does not, he is cast aside for the next candidate. They give the president too much power, but not enough power to actually make the changes in Congress. Another author notes, "An increasing number of Americans worry that the presidency has grown too big, too powerful, and too menacing. Yet we also want the government -- chiefly, the president -- to 'do more'" (Healey, 2008). The people rely on the president to "fix" things, when in reality; the people sometimes have to take matters into their own hands. If they want health care reform, they notify their representatives, create their own citizen lobbies, and notify their political parties to work harder on reform (and to work harder to work together, something the country desperately needs).