Democracy in America

Financial Times:

[A] New York Times/CBS poll on Saturday...showed 72 per cent of Americans supported the creation of government-administered health insurance available to all, which would compete with private schemes in an attempt to expand coverage and force private insurers to cut their prices.

But the measure faces an uphill battle in Congress...

Three quarters of Americans support some kind of universal Medicare option, and yet the political advantage remains with the health care industry. How can this be?

While three quarters of Americans are working for a living, the health care lobby lives by working on Congress. Private industry often plays a role in public life that the average citizen does not, because it is easier for them to bear the costs. Corporations can afford to be citizens; Americans can only afford to be employees.