Opinion: Health reform—What if Obama hadn't tried it?

Everyone agrees the crux of the long-term deficit problem is healthcare spending. It's also one of the reasons wages for workers are rising so slowly. The key argument that convinced Obama to pursue a healthcare bill during the economic crisis was Peter Orszag's belief that health reform was entitlement reform. In March 2009, Obama said health reform is "a fiscal imperative. If we want to create jobs, rebuild our economy, and get our federal budget under control, then we must address the crushing cost of health care this year."