How the American health system came to be.

I found the following paragraph quite interesting:

The employer-based portion of America's current social contract is not the product of intentional design but rather of historical accident. During World War II, wage and price rationing prevented American companies from raising wages. In order to attract workers, companies began taking advantage of a loophole in the tax code that gave them a tax break if they provided health insurance for their employees. This minor loophole then expanded to become the basis of the American health care system for the adult workforce, creating a type of welfare capitalism without parallel in other societies. Subsequently, the major reason for the failure of repeated attempts —by Presidents Truman, Johnson, Nixon, and Clinton— to establish a single-payer system like those of other advanced technological societies was the fact that many Americans already had health inurance through their employers.

(Halstead & Lind: p. 66)

Taking into account how strongly Republicans advocate the current system, one would think that it somehow reflects a very deep American conviction over how these issues should be managed. Yet, it seems that the system came to be in a very haphazardly manner. I suppose it is one of those instances where today's reform (or even revolution) will be tomorrow's status quo, firmly defended by conservatives as the "traditional way to do things". One way or another, it definitely puts things in perspective.