And their disappointment at not getting to universal coverage this year would be tempered by knowing that their leaders didn't give up on the idea and they lost a fair fight.

FORBES

Universal coverage might not be the cause of their inferior performance.

FORBES: Obama's Health Care Reform Tactics

"A number of groups--particularly biz groups that historically have not been strongly in favor of universal coverage--seem to be going that direction, " says Larry Levitt, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a Washington, D.

FORBES: Magazine Article

If Democrats can cross the psychic barrier of accepting that universal coverage is just not viable now, they'll see there's a much safer, surer and politically beneficial course wide open for them: Just call the Republicans' bluff about starting over.

FORBES: Dangerous Thoughts

The Baucus bill forces them to cover everyone but does not have enough carrots or sticks to enforce universal coverage.

ECONOMIST: Health reform takes a step forward

If it had universal coverage, the theory goes, uninsured folks would get care sooner--not wait till they have a medical emergency--saving the system a ton of money.

FORBES: Obama's Health Care Reform Tactics

If universal health coverage truly had a demonstrable impact on the willingness to take risks, one would not expect the U.S. to outpace its OECD competitors (all of which have had national health systems for decades).

FORBES: Will Obamacare Stimulate Entrepreneurs?