Yesterday, the Health Insurance Reform act passed the House of Representatives in the face of fierce opposition by the Republican party. Far from being unusual this Republican vote follows a consistent pattern on healthcare reform votes since the beginning of the 20th century.
But there was at least once in the last century in which the Republican party took the initiative and proposed a method of providing Healthcare for Americans. This program was set forth by Richard M. Nixon and it required employers to provide minimal levels of health insurance to employees, using private insurance firms as the main vehicle. This privatized program is the one in need of reform.
