Stars Aligning for Health Care Reform

After decades of stalemate, this may be the year that the logjam breaks. The idea of tackling a high-cost item such as health care in the midst of a nasty recession may seem preposterous, the economic crisis may actually be the necessary spark.

Obama's argument that genuine recovery won't be possible if the United States doesn't find a way to restrain health care costs is beginning to take hold with many Democrats and Republicans fear that health care is putting American workers and businesses at a disadvantage globally since most other industrialized countries have a better handle on high costs.