One person who knows the health care minefield well is Mike Lux.  He was a special advisor to the president during the Clinton administration and worked inside the “Health Care War Room.”  As Lux told me, “He has the scars to prove it.”  Lux, who also served on the Obama transition team, says the current White House has learned from the “mistakes” of what was once called “Hillary Care,” the former first lady’s ill-fated fight for national health care reform. 

He says the Clinton administration made the mistake of crafting a complicated plan behind closed doors before dictating the policy to Congress.  This time around, Lux says the Obama White House deserves credit for allowing members of Congress to work out the details.  But he cautions the president may need to use some “muscle” in the end.  He’s doubtful Republicans will come on board to support a plan that offers the option of a government-run health care plan.  At the end of the interview Lux told me, if Republicans don’t come on board the Obama administration may have to “roll these guys.”