title: The skeptic's guide to a movement for universal health insurance.
abstract: The social movement has become institutionalized as a form of political action. The aim of this article is to evaluate the possibilities presented by this form as a strategy to bring about universal health insurance in the United States. I draw on the work of social movement theorists, on the substantial body of empirical research on health-related social movements, and on relevant comparative work from Canada to develop a template for this evaluation. Using that template I compare the failed campaign for President Bill Clinton's health insurance plan with a recent, more successful campaign in the state of New York. I conclude that the keys to success are, first, a broad-based coalition that combines an ideologically and/or grievance-motivated grass roots with financially and politically well-endowed mainstream organizations; second, a "master frame" that resonates with the American people; and, third, a political window of opportunity. The prospects for such a conjunction are not hopeless, but they are not high.
authors.affiliation: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA.
authors.forename: Constance A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Nathanson
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009310:National Health Insurance, United States; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D011050:Policy Making; D011057:Politics; D012922:Social Change; D014481:United States; D019472:Universal Health Insurance / Q000458:organization & administration*