(From the FT.com) The healthcare reform bill that will go to the vote on the US Senate floor this week falls well short of Barack Obama’s original vision. As the president took office at the beginning of this year, he laid out a plan for reform including a robust “public option” for a nationwide government-backed scheme that would inject a bolt of competition into the inefficient medical insurance market.

Wavering Democrat under pressure on health – Dec-16Instead, he is set next month to sign into law a bill that, while dramatically expanding healthcare insurance coverage, will largely leave insurance in the hands of private companies.

Still, Mr Obama has been at pains over the past week to stress that his administration is nevertheless on the “precipice” of improving the daily lives of millions of Americans.

Read more here: Healthcare bill falls short of Obama’s vision