Healthcare costs are a major issue.
Checkpoint What are the most pressing problems, and how can we solve them?
There have been many movements for social reform in the United States. But Americans do not always agree on the need for reform or on the best way to achieve it. In fact, some reform ideas face strong opposition. Why do some reform movements win support, while others do not? Use the timeline below to explore this enduring issue.
1790s–1820s Second Great Awakening
Revival of Christian faith sparks moral and spiritual reform.
1830s–1850s Abolitionism
Antislavery forces demand an end to the slave system.
1890–1920 Progressivism
Reformers urge a broad range of social and political changes.
1950s–1960s Civil Rights
African Americans lead movement for racial equality.
1990s–2000s Healthcare Reform
Reformers combat the spiraling costs of healthcare and insurance.
Young children line up to receive vaccinations in a school clinic.
Health Insurance Medical costs are soaring. Many Americans lack health insurance and cannot pay their bills. Some reformers want the government to provide universal health insurance, also known as a single-payer system. Others say this approach will cause more harm than good.
“… Everybody has … to be covered. There’s only three ways of doing it. You can have a single-payer system, you can require employers, or you can have individual responsibility. My plan combines employers and individual responsibility, while maintaining Medicare and Medicaid. The whole idea of universal health care is … a core Democratic principle …”
—Senator Hillary Clinton, 2008
“A single-payer system promotes higher taxes, limits technology, produces waiting lists, rations care, and prolongs suffering…. A universal healthcare system run by government will reduce the quality and access to health care for all Americans. It’s a prescription for disaster.”
—Sally Pipes, President, Pacific Research Institute