It's a better deal than IOTL, will help them. I think the cost is around $30 billion but I'll need to check.
A New Deal for America: An Alternate History of the Late 1970s & Beyond
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It's a better deal than IOTL, will help them. I think the cost is around $30 billion but I'll need to check.
To compare Carter's responsie was to issue a Taft-Hartley injunction forcing the miners back to work and forcing them into an agreement that scrapped their benefits and didn't meet their demands. Jackson is much more pro-labor and liberal.
Glad you like it. Thoughts and predictions on Jackson's healthcare reform?
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Yeah, Jackson is a lot better in this regard.
What's the plan he's trying to push? A public option? A carbon copy of Nixon's plan?
With the yuuuge majorities, he'll get it through Congress.
Yeah, most healthcare is single-payer as that's the most straightforward plan. But how does it work? Is it something like the NHS, or is it something like what Canada has (private hospitals funded by the government)? And how much healthcare does it cover? Emergencies, obviously, but what else?
Details will come in the next update, don't worry. This was just introducing that plot.
Given that the American political climate, even under a staunch New Dealer like Jackson, will still likely be relatively conservative economically compared to the rest of the developed world, I'd imagine Jackson's proposed plan to be similar to Canada's. Single-Payer health insurance with private practitioners and hospitals. Something like NHS is still fairly radical. Course, no guarantee anything will pass Congress. We shall soon see...
I'd say with the supermajorities, it'll get through Congress. At the least, he'll get something like CHIP through. Let's see...
On February 1, 1978, the White House released the National Health Insurance & Medicare Expansion Act( NHIMEA) to Congress. The program, popularly known as Medicare-for all, would grant universal healthcare coverage to all Americans. Jackson, after negotiating with labor leaders and Congress, agreed that there would be an individual mandate to buy health insurance. There would be a government program, an expansion of Medicare, and all Americans over 18 are mandated to enroll in the program, receiving healthcare insurance and government benefits, and the government provided publicly-funded insurance and healthcare. It was in many ways an expansion of Medicare to all Americans, though with other additions too, such as new regulations on insurers and the healthcare system. The program cost $64 billion according to initial projections, and about half the cost would be paid for with premiums paid by enrolees and an increase in payroll tax to 4%. However it would still add $28 billion to the deficit, and combined with Jackson's other programs and military buildup, having risen from $53.7 billion when Jackson took office to $86.2 billion by the end of 1978, and was projected by the end of the decade to rise into the triple digits. Still, Jackson's Medicare-for all program enjoyed wide support, with nearly all Democrats and a few Republicans behind it, and polls showed it got the support of majorities of the American public.
Universal healthcare had been a liberal dream for decades. It had been part of Teddy Roosevelt's Progressive manifesto, and in the 1930s FDR had considered proposing it, but decided not to, to ensure the rest of his programs could pass easily. The creation of Medicare in the 1960s had created hope and a model for future liberals, such as Jackson to use. Universal healthcare had since become an objective of the Democrats. Despite toying with passing it in the Nixon administration, no bill was passed then. Many Democratic candidates promised universal healthcare in 1976. Jackson had been an especially vocal supporter of the idea, and had campaigned on it extensively, it was key to his contrast with Reagan; contrasting his universla healthcare plan with Reagan's previous opposition to Medicare and other entitlement programs. Plans had built for universal healthcare since Jackson took office, and through 1977 a plan was drafted as administration officials met with members of Congress, labor officials, and officials from the healthcare industry. Now the dream of many liberals, including of Ted Kennedy, looked set to become a reality.
The plan attracted strong opposition from conservatives and from the American Medical Association(AMA). 1976 Republican nominee Ronald Reagan took to radio spots across the country to attack the program, saying "It's very simple really. It increases costs, decreases quality of care, hurts our economy and takes away our freedom." The AMA proposed an alternative plan, which would have an individual mandate to buy health insurance, subsidies and some new regulations, but operate within the private system. Jackson, in a February 12 interview, declared the AMA's proposal was "garbage. It's not a serious solution, it is a giveaway to insurance companies." Republicans supported the AMA's bill, and on March 1, the rival Healthcare Affordability and Coverage Reform Act, or HACRA, was put up to the House. Liberals rallied behind the white House's bill, and the United Auto Workers(UAW) was a forceful advocate for Jackson's plan, declaring "We owe it to ourselves, to our children and to our country. Anything less is a scam." Soon, despite the initial efforts of administration officials behind the scenes to reach out to the healthcare industry and the AMA, the debate had become sharply polarized into two camps, the AMA vs the White House, Republicans vs Democrats.
With a Democratic supermajority in the House, a bill seemed easy to pass there. The main challenge was getting it past committee, and Ways and Means committee chairman Al Ullman was a potential threat. Ullman was a moderate Democrat, and he expressed concerns about the inflationary impact of the bill. Ullman had the power to obstruct, or at least delay, the passing of the NHIMEA. House Speaker Tip O'Neill lobbied the doubtful Ullman on the bill. Jackson hurt matters when he made a gaffe in a speech "The Democrats have to choose, do we stand with Ronald Reagan, with Barry Goldwater, with people who don't share our values. Or do we stand with FDR, with people ranging from Hubert Humphrey to Teddy Roosevelt? I think it is shameful, the behavior some people are showing." Ullman was incensed, he was furious at being compared to Reagan and Goldwater in his view. Jackson met with Ullman on March 27, and soothed out his concerns. The inflation problem would be dealt with soon, but healthcare was too important. On April 1, after much thought, Ullman opened the gate. The bill passed committee and went to a House vote. There, it passed 290-143, with the support of 33 Republicans, but the opposition of 35 Democrats, and 2 abstentions. liberals were jubilant. Now, only the obstacle of the Senate awaited before the dream of universal healthcare became a reality. But that was quite an obstacle.
The plan attracted strong opposition from conservatives and from the American Medical Association(AMA). 1976 Republican nominee Ronald Reagan took to radio spots across the country to attack the program, saying "It's very simple really. It increases costs, decreases quality of care, hurts our economy and takes away our freedom." The AMA proposed an alternative plan, which would have an individual mandate to buy health insurance, subsidies and some new regulations, but operate within the private system. Jackson, in a February 12 interview, declared the AMA's proposal was "garbage. It's not a serious solution, it is a giveaway to insurance companies." Republicans supported the AMA's bill, and on March 1, the rival Healthcare Affordability and Coverage Reform Act, or HACRA, was put up to the House. Liberals rallied behind the white House's bill, and the United Auto Workers(UAW) was a forceful advocate for Jackson's plan, declaring "We owe it to ourselves, to our children and to our country. Anything less is a scam." Soon, despite the initial efforts of administration officials behind the scenes to reach out to the healthcare industry and the AMA, the debate had become sharply polarized into two camps, the AMA vs the White House, Republicans vs Democrats.
The main battleground was in the Senate. There, opponents of the bill hoped to filibuster it, using an arcane procedure that delayed a vote indefinitely and needed 60 votes to be stopped. The White House approached moderate Republicans to try to get them on side. On April 12, Jackson met with Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker. Baker made clear the current bill was a bridge too far, and offered to support the President only if he accepted a compromise bill more similar to the HACRA. Jackson adamantly refused, he was the President, he had congressional supermajorities, and he wasn't going to let universal healthcare be taken away, now that it was so close to fruition. Baker told Jackson he was 'unreasonable' and the meeting proved entirely unproductive and ended in bitterness and acrimony. Baker announced the next day that "I cannot support the NHIMEA in its current form. It, to be frank, defies reason and logic. I will be open to a compromise bill, but sadly the White House is not open to any compromise on this issue. I call on all Republicans and I call on the senate to vote down this bill as it stands."
The White House was furious. But with almost all Democrats and some Republicans supporting it, and Democrats having 61 Senate seats, enough to overcome a filibuster, it looked like they would be able to muster the votes to pass universal healthcare into law. However, the administration was increasingly worried they would fail to get a popular mandate for their bill, and that it would be left vulnerable to repeal if it did not gain bipartisan support.
The AMA began running radio ads against the bill, and Ronald Reagan and leading conservatives campaigned against it. The UAW ran ads for it in response, and union leaders mobilized their supporters to back the President's bill. The Senate began debating the bill. Opponents claimed it was inflationary, it would lead to poorer quality of care as the government 'nationalizes' the healthcare system, and it would lead to higher taxes and harm the economy.
A filibuster led by Jesse Helms and conservative Republicans threatened to stop the bill. For months, the Senate debated the bill. Polls showed a majority of the American public in favor, but around 40% were solidly opposed. Towards the end, several liberal Republicans, including Jacob Javits, swung behind it. Conservatives ran a determined campaign, but could not shave off enough Democrats to stop it passing. The Democratic supermajority made such a task very hard, and Jackson and the White House managed to rally the Democrats in favor, the President himself winning over wavering Senators. The Senate voted on August 5, 1978, to pass the bill, 66-33, overcoming a filibuster. The next day President Jackson signed it into law. "History has been made, and we will truly get a great society now." Indeed, history had been made. Universal healthcare was law of the land.
The AMA began running radio ads against the bill, and Ronald Reagan and leading conservatives campaigned against it. The UAW ran ads for it in response, and union leaders mobilized their supporters to back the President's bill. The Senate began debating the bill. Opponents claimed it was inflationary, it would lead to poorer quality of care as the government 'nationalizes' the healthcare system, and it would lead to higher taxes and harm the economy.
A filibuster led by Jesse Helms and conservative Republicans threatened to stop the bill. For months, the Senate debated the bill. Polls showed a majority of the American public in favor, but around 40% were solidly opposed. Towards the end, several liberal Republicans, including Jacob Javits, swung behind it. Conservatives ran a determined campaign, but could not shave off enough Democrats to stop it passing. The Democratic supermajority made such a task very hard, and Jackson and the White House managed to rally the Democrats in favor, the President himself winning over wavering Senators. The Senate voted on August 5, 1978, to pass the bill, 66-33, overcoming a filibuster. The next day President Jackson signed it into law. "History has been made, and we will truly get a great society now." Indeed, history had been made. Universal healthcare was law of the land.
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Awesome!!!! Love where this is going so far. Hopefully Jackson has some political capitol left.The main battleground was in the Senate. There, opponents of the bill hoped to filibuster it, using an arcane procedure that delayed a vote indefinitely and needed 60 votes to be stopped. The White House approached moderate Republicans to try to get them on side. On April 12, Jackson met with Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker. Baker made clear the current bill was a bridge too far, and offered to support the President only if he accepted a compromise bill more similar to the HACRA. Jackson adamantly refused, he was the President, he had congressional supermajorities, and he wasn't going to let universal healthcare be taken away, now that it was so close to fruition. Baker told Jackson he was 'unreasonable' and the meeting proved entirely unproductive and ended in bitterness and acrimony. Baker announced the next day that "I cannot support the NHIMEA in its current form. It, to be frank, defies reason and logic. I will be open to a compromise bill, but sadly the White House is not open to any compromise on this issue. I call on all Republicans and I call on the senate to vote down this bill as it stands."
The White House was furious. But with almost all Democrats and some Republicans supporting it, and Democrats having 61 Senate seats, enough to overcome a filibuster, it looked like they would be able to muster the votes to pass universal healthcare into law. However, the administration was increasingly worried they would fail to get a popular mandate for their bill, and that it would be left vulnerable to repeal if it did not gain bipartisan support.
The AMA began running radio ads against the bill, and Ronald Reagan and leading conservatives campaigned against it. The UAW ran ads for it in response, and union leaders mobilized their supporters to back the President's bill. The Senate began debating the bill. Opponents claimed it was inflationary, it would lead to poorer quality of care as the government 'nationalizes' the healthcare system, and it would lead to higher taxes and harm the economy.
A filibuster led by Jesse Helms and conservative Republicans threatened to stop the bill. For months, the Senate debated the bill. Polls showed a majority of the American public in favor, but around 30-40% were solidly opposed. Towards the end, several liberal Republicans, including Jacob Javits, swung behind it. Conservatives ran a determined campaign, but could not shave off enough Democrats to stop it passing. The Democratic supermajority made such a task very hard, and Jackson and the White House managed to rally the Democrats in favor, the President himself winning over wavering Senators. The Senate voted on August 5, 1978, to pass the bill, 66-33, overcoming a filibuster. The next day President Jackson signed it into law. "History has been made, and we will truly get a great society now." Indeed, history had been made. Universal healthcare was law of the land.