Obama's health care woes adding up

The Washington Post explains that the Obama administration has been busy making deals to get its government run health care plan enacted, but it still faces hurdles.

No single development appeared likely to kill Obama's signature domestic agenda item, but the relentless barrage of challenges that seemed to hit hourly served to demonstrate why no president since Lyndon B. Johnson has been able to enact large-scale health legislation.

From the outset, Obama has declined to dictate the details of a health-care bill to Congress, but he and his most trusted advisers have worked aggressively to shape its parameters and build political support. At the core of their strategy has been a series of side agreements aimed at extracting revenue, neutralizing potential adversaries and signaling to lawmakers that when the difficult votes come, they will have the political cover of industry support.

"All the constituencies that have been the most vocal critics of any form of health reform in the past are now invested in its success," Emanuel said in an interview.

Yesterday, (Vice President) Biden trumpeted an agreement by the nation's hospitals to contribute $155 billion to the cost of health reform, but it was quickly undermined by skepticism in the industry.

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