Health Reform Vote: Global Impressions

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http://www.cfr.org/publication/21719/health_reform_vote.html

People all over the world have followed the political rollercoaster surrounding healthcare reform in the United States, and millions witnessed Sunday's debate and countdown to midnight in the House of Representatives. The chaos that we call a "health system" in the United States--featuring some 47 million Americans with no insurance and millions more who are under-insured and face bankruptcy with catastrophic illness--stuns people overseas, especially in Western Europe.

Many view passage of healthcare reform as a test of President Barack Obama's mettle, and an unfortunate distraction for the White House from pressing issues such as the global economy, Iranian nuclear capacity, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and trade negotiations. The president's decision to postpone until June his planned swing through Indonesia and Australia in order to be in Washington for the House vote appeared to validate overseas concerns that the U.S. domestic situation was overwhelming the White House.

It's hard not to wonder how international audiences responded to the image of a pro-life, conservative Democrat (Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan) apparently being decried as a "baby killer" by Texas Republican Randy Neugebauer during the weekend's final debate, and whether it reinforced concerns about the deep, often uncivil divisions in the American body politic.


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