WASHINGTON The Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law comes after a century of debate over what role the government should play in helping people in the United States afford medical care. A look at the issue through the years: <\/p>\n
1912: Former President Theodore Roosevelt champions national health insurance as he unsuccessfully tries to ride his progressive Bull Moose Party back to the White House. <\/p>\n
1929: Baylor Hospital in Texas originates group health insurance. Dallas teachers pay 50 cents a month to cover up to 21 days of hospital care per year. <\/p>\n
1935: President Franklin D. Roosevelt favors creating national health insurance amid the Great Depression but decides to push for Social Security first. <\/p>\n
1942: Roosevelt establishes wage and price controls during World War II. Businesses can't attract workers with higher pay so they compete through added benefits, including health insurance, which grows into a workplace perk. <\/p>\n
1945: President Harry Truman calls on Congress to create a national insurance program for those who pay voluntary fees. The American Medical Association denounces the idea as \"socialized medicine\" and it goes nowhere. <\/p>\n
1960: John F. Kennedy makes health care a major campaign issue but as president can't get a plan for the elderly through Congress. <\/p>\n
1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson's legendary arm-twisting and a Congress dominated by his fellow Democrats lead to creation of two landmark government health programs: Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor. <\/p>\n
1974: President Richard Nixon wants to require employers to cover their workers and create federal subsidies to help everyone else buy private insurance. The Watergate scandal intervenes. <\/p>\n
1976: President Jimmy Carter pushes a mandatory national health plan, but economic recession helps push it aside. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Supreme Court ruling caps a century of American debate over how to get medical care for all<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WASHINGTON The Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law comes after a century of debate over what role the government should play in helping people in the United States afford medical care. A look at the issue through the years: 1912: Former President Theodore Roosevelt champions national health insurance as he unsuccessfully tries to ride his progressive Bull Moose Party back to the White House. 1929: Baylor Hospital in Texas originates group health insurance. Continue reading