As healthcare debate in the United States reached the top of the U.S. "domestic policy agenda" during the U.S. 2008 presidential race with a combination of "soaring costs" in the healthcare system and an increasing number of Americans without health insurance because of job loss during the recession, Canada's so-called "socialized" healthcare system—with its long waiting lists—became a key Republican argument against Obama's health reforms. The Huffington Post described it as the "American politics of Canadian healthcare." A 2009 "Huffington Post" article, described how American insurance companies were concerned that they would not be as profitable if his healthcare reforms were implemented.