Universal and affordable health care: how can we achieve it?

When the House passed the bill at a narrow margin, I naturally imagined that the opening conference ceremony the next day would be full of excitement and enthusiasm, reflecting the long-held support of APHA members in favor of the national health insurance program. The bill included a provision requiring the federal government to create a public health insurance plan to cover the otherwise uncovered population. According to the Congressional Budget Office, if implemented, the new bill would cost over one trillion dollars in ten years (2010–2019).