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On February 25, 2010, President Obama met with Congressional leaders for several hours in an attempt to iron out differences and move forward on health care reform. Although this “health care summit” failed to produce a legislative agreement, there was a consensus on several matters. Democrats and Republicans both expressed the view that America has “the greatest health care system in the world.” Both sides agreed that gaps in health insurance coverage affect many Americans. Both sides cited research suggesting that roughly onethird of spending on health care in the United States goes for medical procedures that are ineffective. Both sides pointed out that standard projections show that health spending in the major government-funded health programs – Medicaid for the poor and Medicare for the elderly – are on an unsustainable path. This paper will be organized around these areas of agreement. The commonlyheld views are likely to shape the direction of health care reform in this country, not only in 2010 but over the next decade. The belief that America has the world‘s greatest health care system implies limits on how much reform the public is willing to accept. Gaps in health insurance coverage are a source of frustration and an impetus for changes in government policy. The belief that Americans waste resources on health care raises the issue of who should be empowered to make different choices. The unsustainable projected fiscal path suggests that politically unpopular reforms are on the horizon.

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