By Christopher Young

Staff Writer

Healthcare reform has once again surged as the hot button topic in American politics. The America’s Affordable Health Choices Act has generated an inordinate amount of controversy. With all the arguments being made for and against healthcare reform, the history of American healthcare reform provides perspective on how the state of health care arrived at the current situation. Since Theodore Roosevelt, nearly every president has attempted to address healthcare reform in one way to another. Yet, every time healthcare became a pertinent issue, business rises up against. From “Hillarycare” to Lyndon Johnson’s Medicare system, the history of American healthcare reform is littered with very few successes and an overwhelming number of failed bills, due in large part to the forces of the medical industry and the insurance industry.

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By Andrew Edwards

Staff Writer

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America recently announced it would relinquish its support for the health-care legislation if Congress were to reduce the proposed twelve-year monopoly on new biological drugs. During this twelve-year period, drug companies are al-lowed to be the exclusive seller of the new biological drugs they create. By charging high prices for new drugs, companies can use this period of monopoly to recover expenses incurred during the research and development of new drugs. The pharmaceutical industry’s trade group includes the chief executives of the leading pharmaceutical companies on its board, including Pfizer, Merck, and Bristol-Myers.

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By Stephen Moock

Staff Writer

It has been almost six months since President Obama’s original August 2009 deadline for finalizing a health care bill. It quickly became evident to Congress that if health care is going to be successfully reformed, it would take time and careful deliberation on many aspects of the bill.

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