Obama's US health care headache

By Jonathan Blake Newsbeat US Reporter

Barack Obama was elected on 4 November 2008 after a campaign that promised change. One year on, Newsbeat's travelled across the country to find out how people feel in Obama's America. In his final report, US reporter Jonathan Blake explains why health care is both the president's biggest priority and also his biggest problem.

A man protests in Washington against Barack Obama's proposed health care bill

How is the US health care system different to the UK's?

In the US you need health insurance to get treatment. Most people pay for insurance, some get it partly of fully paid for by their employer.

If you can't afford insurance there is a system called Medicaid which provides some cover. There is also Medicare, a similar system for elderly and disabled people.

Why does Barack Obama want to change the system?

He says too many people do not have insurance and so cannot get access to proper health care.

The government estimates there are about 45 million Americans with no insurance.

The president wants to change the system to make it more like the UK where the government provides health care paid for by taxes.

Why do lots of Americans disagree?

Critics say the US government shouldn't be involved in health care

Many people in the US don't like the idea of the government getting involved and think people should be able to choose and pay for the health care they want.

Critics of Barack Obama say that standards of health care will fall and people will be told what treatment they can and cannot have.

Will the president go ahead with his plans anyway?

He has to get politicians in congress, the US equivalent of parliament, to agree on the details of the plan first.

The bill they are arguing over at the moment is 2,000 pages long and will cost approximately $1 trillion (£606 billion).

The president has said that he will get agreement on health care reform by the end of this year.

What happens if he can't get it done?

It will be a big blow to Barack Obama's authority as president.

By tackling this issue early on in his presidency he is putting his credibility on the line.

Many other US presidents, including Bill Clinton, have tried and failed to make big changes to the health care system in the US.