Truman and the medical profession: replay or lesson for the nineties

This article describes the first serious effort on the part of an American president to enact national health insurance (NHI). President Truman considered his inability to enact NHI the single most important defeat during his presidency. While a variety of factors led to the demise of NHI, three are most notable. The dynamic interplay of these factors, integrated with references to the current accelerating debate over national health reform, will serve as the focus for this seventh article in a series on historical efforts to enact national health reform in the United States.