Neither the progressive nor the anti-abortion House Democrats are making any sense in threatening to kill the Senate bill.
Paul Starr
Paul Starr is co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect, and professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the Bancroft Prize in American history, he is the author of eight books, including American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now (Yale University Press, October 2025).
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
Underrating Reform
Even with its compromises, health reform is the most ambitious effort in decades to reorganize a big part of life around principles of justice and efficiency.
Posted inColumns
Obama Year One
Obama was right to take on a wide range of tough problems, and no one should be shocked at the obstacles in his path.
Posted inArticle
Deal or Die on Health Care
Why progressives should support a Democratic compromise.
Posted inArticle
Averting a Health-Care Backlash
Create a political safety-valve: let people opt out of the mandate. Just don’t let them opt back in at will.
Posted inColumns
Faster, Please
Democrats in Congress should focus on enacting job
measures and health reforms that show voters immediate progress.
Posted inColumns
Bipartisanship in One Party
The Democratic health-reform proposals are built around ideas Republicans used to favor.
Posted inArticle
Health-Care Reform Gets a Booster Shot
Obama’s speech had some important news: His plan now includes some immediate relief on insurance costs.
Posted inArticle
Sacrificing the Public Option
Chill out, progressives. To get health-care reform through the Senate, the public option is almost certainly going to have to be dropped.
Posted inDepartments
Debating the Public Option
The three founders of the Prospect discuss the perils and promise of a public-insurance option.