The Scouting Report: Health Care Reform Legislation

Reforming the American health care system was a key aspect of President Obama’s agenda for 2009. Now that bills have passed both the House and the Senate, health care reform may be within reach—although significant hurdles remain.

Not all experts are happy with the legislation. Some argue reform will be too expensive. Others, like Brookings Senior Fellow Henry Aaron, want to more aggressively rein in costs. Still, Aaron argues that the proposed legislation will accomplish more than its critics suggest—and waiting to pass reform until a more perfect solution is achieved may not be worth delaying coverage for uninsured Americans.

As part of a new Brookings series to assess the President Obama’s performance in his administration’s first year in office, Aaron answered your questions on health care reform in a live web chat on Wednesday, January 13. Fred Barbash, senior editor at POLITICO, moderated the discussion.

Read the transcript »