On March 23, 2010, after a bruising year of debate, negotiation and backlash, President Barack Obama finally signed the health reform bill that he had promised more than a year before. But at what cost to his popularity and to the ideals of bipartisanship and open government that he'd campaigned on?

In Obama's Deal, FRONTLINE takes viewers behind the headlines to reveal the political maneuvering behind Barack Obama's effort to remake the American health system and transform the way Washington works. Through interviews with administration officials, senators and Washington lobbyists, The film reveals the dramatic details of how an idealistic president pursued the health care fight – despite the warnings of many of his closest advisers – and how he ended up making deals with many of the powerful special interests he had campaigned against.

The deals were often controversial. "It's not a pretty process," says David Gergen, who's been an adviser to four different presidents, both Republican and Democratic, over the last several decades. "There is deal making – that's the way it's been done for a long time. But those deals done in your front parlor can be pretty smelly. The public was already up to here with what they were seeing in Washington, and I think it just put them over the side.

In the video from Obama’s Deal explore the role of negotiation and political compromise in passing major reform legislation:

Video Segment Themes:

• Initially, the White House strategy for passing health care reform was to be transparent and give all interested parties a voice in the process.
• Publicly, the health insurance industry was to be a willing partner in health care reform, but privately, it pushed for reforms that were beneficial to its business interests.
• To get the health industry’s support, President Obama agreed to include provisions in the health care reform bill that went against his 2008 campaign promises.
• By default, the writing of the health care reform bill went to a Democratic senator, Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who was strongly supported by the health industry. The White House staff did not consider the senator to be an advantage in passing the Obama administration’s plan.
• As the health care reform bill began to take shape, it was apparent to many that deals were being made with the health insurance industry that excluded alternative proposals from others groups, like Dr. Margaret Flowers’ Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for a single-payer health care option.