Obama hopes to avoid Clinton healthcare missteps

President-elect Barack Obama and his aides are determined not to repeat the mistakes the Clinton administration made 15 years ago in trying to revamp the nation's healthcare system, and that means applying some of the lessons learned. Tom Daschle, Obama's point man on the issue, maintains the efforts to bring about universal health coverage in the first two years of the Clinton presidency took too long. In a book published this year, he urged the next president to act immediately to capitalize on the good will that greets any incoming administration. His speech and recent behind-the-scenes meetings with lawmakers and consumer groups address that point.