While the presidential candidates of both major parties have shied away from tackling access to health care, grassroots groups in several states are fighting to keep the issue alive. The problem is that they are running into a tough political climate and well-financed opposition.
Advocates claim that lawmakers rushed legislation to a vote to derail the coalition's efforts.
Several coalition members withdrew their support, saying that the legislation addressed many of their concerns. While a splinter group is still working to get the ballot initiative passed, its success is doubtful. In Washington state, advocates have also encountered serious obstacles in their efforts to boost access to health care. They are collecting signatures to send an initiative calling for a central public trust to finance coverage for residents to the state legislature. The first obstacle is collecting 220,000 signatures by the end of this year.