Sen. Edward Kennedy (1932-2009)
The late senator's health care legacy spans nearly 40 years.
Focus of a long career
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D, Mass) testifies before the Senate Finance Committee in 1971 in favor of a universal government health plan. The senator had a hand in virtually every major health bill ever since, including laws on cancer research, AIDS care, disability discrimination, HIPAA, mental health benefits and children's health care. Several factors drove his interest in health care, including: his severe injuries in a 1964 plane crash; the amputation of the leg of one of his sons, Edward Kennedy Jr.; and the severe asthma of another son, Patrick Kennedy.
Firm but not unyielding
Kennedy leads the movement for national health insurance in a speech at a 1978 Democratic conference. Former aides and colleagues say the senator could compromise when needed but never strayed from his core principles. As President Obama said in Kennedy's eulogy, "He did it by hewing to principle, but also by seeking compromise and common cause -- not through deal-making and horse-trading alone, but through friendship, and kindness, and humor."
Seeking health coverage for all
Kennedy describes his national health care plan to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in 1979. At far left is Rep. Henry Waxman (D, Calif.), who this summer shepherded a reform measure through the House Energy and Commerce Committee he now chairs. In the early 1970s, Kennedy, a backer of single-payer health care, could not come to terms with the Nixon administration, which preferred an employer-based, HMO-oriented solution. Kennedy is said to have regretted not seizing upon the Nixon plan to enact universal coverage.
Defeats and victories
Kennedy with then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as she prepares to testify about President Clinton's health care plan in 1993. At center is Sen. Chris Dodd (D, Conn.), who this year filled in for Kennedy as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Although the ailing Kennedy was absent, Dodd still worked closely with him and his staff in writing the bill.
Citizen of a pioneer state
Kennedy celebrates the signing of the Massachusetts universal health coverage measure in 2006. Federal lawmakers borrowed heavily from the state's model when crafting a national reform bill this year. Details of the federal bills that came from the Massachusetts plan include health insurance exchanges, an employer insurance mandate and a requirement that all individuals buy health insurance, with provisions for those who can't afford it.
The "Lion of the Senate" roars
Kennedy joins a 2007 protest of President Bush's veto of a Children's Health Insurance Program expansion. A year later, the senator would cast the deciding vote to pass a bill preventing Medicare cuts to physicians, giving it enough support to survive another Bush veto. Kennedy was known for his oratorical skills both in speeches and his work on the Senate floor.
Passing the torch
Kennedy appears with presidential hopefuls Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama at a 2006 NAACP event. The Massachusetts senator eventually endorsed Obama, saying he was "absolutely convinced" that the candidate would support universal, comprehensive health care and saying it was "time again for a new generation of leadership." Kennedy saw the Obama administration and the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate as the third and best chance to pass universal care.
A dream not yet realized
In May 2008, Sen. Kennedy was diagnosed with a glioblastoma. In a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 25, 2008 -- exactly a year before he died -- he described health system reform as "the cause of my life." As he said in a speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention and paraphrased many times later, "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."