By making the case for a health-care overhaul, Barack Obama joins the ranks of seven other American presidents who grappled with the issue. Of the seven earlier presidents, only one (Lyndon Johnson) carried the day -- and only with Medicare and Medicaid, programs for the elderly and the needy.  The other presidents came away with empty hands. 

Historians often write about "American exceptionalism" -- the feeling among Americans that their country stands apart from  the rest. But when it comes to health care, America stands under all the rest. Among major industrialized countries, America spends the most on health care -- more than $7,000 a year a person, about double what the other countries lay out. Even so, America gets the sickest results.

Some of the bills being considered in Congress would force owners of small business to confront new questions: Should they continue to offer a prized fringe benefit to a loyal workforce, despite the cost? Or should they pay a penalty that might be less than what the insurance premiums cost and cut workers loose to find the best policy they can on the open market? (Illustration from iStockphoto)

Posted 1 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 8 - In an average year, inflation nibbles away more than 3 percent of our buying power. But for health care, inflation takes a big bite -- about 6 percent a year. Why does American health care cost so much? Here's a summary of the top reasons for health care's spiraling costs? (Photo by willsun | sxc.hu )

Numbers help tell the extent of the health-care crisis. Today, health care eats up $1 of every $6 -- $2.2 trillion a year, the single biggest slice of America's economic pie. Ten years from now, it could snatch $1 of every $5. In 2025, it's projected to be $1 of every $4. How did health care get to be so costly? (Photo by willsun | sxc.hu )