By Nick Stark

As Congress returns from the July 4 recess, BBC World News America next week turns the spotlight on one of the administration’s major legislative priorities – health care.

     In Condition: Critical, a special series of reports and interviews airing Monday, July 6 to Wednesday, July 8, the program examines why the cost of American health care is soaring, the obstacles facing the administration’s plans for reform and possible solutions from a health care model overseas.

     The programs feature interviews with key players and health experts including Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services.

     In Monday’s program, entitled: “Controlling Costs – Patient or Profit First?” Matt Frei asks Kathleen Sebelius about the administration’s strategy for advancing health care reforms through Congress. Just why does A     merica have the most expensive health care in the world and why are costs still soaring? The Obama administration believes the culture of modern medicine may be part of the problem. Obama has cited an article which investigated why McAllen, Texas, spends so much on health care. The puzzle of why some areas spend so much more than others - without better results - is now known in the White House as the ‘McAllen problem’.

     In Tuesday’s show, entitled “The Political Battle for Reform” the show looks at

President Obama’s broad vision for health care reform - expanded coverage, lower costs and choice for consumers  -  but what legislation can he get passed? He's avoided Hillary Clinton’s attempt to impose a reform plan on Congress, but are there enough votes to deliver his vision and what might he be prepared to sacrifice in order to have a bi-partisan deal on his desk by October?

     He’s said he wants universal coverage and a public plan option as an alternative to private insurance. Yet Republicans reject the government option claiming it would be unfair competition. Conservatives argue it would inevitably lead to a single-payer government run system, a form of “socialized” medicine similar to Canada and the UK. Tuesday’s report investigates those claims and looks at whether public and private could work alongside each other.  It also examines the huge debate over how much total coverage would cost and how it could be paid for.

     Matt Frei discusses the issues raised with John Podesta, Chief of Staff to Bill Clinton 1998-2001, and health specialist Karen Tumulty of Time Magazine.

     In “The Dutch Solution”, which airs on Wednesday, the show’s Tom Burridge travels to the heart of Europe to look at a health care system that’s receiving much attention from the U.S. In 2006 the Dutch overhauled health care to introduce a market based system – albeit with strong government intervention.

     In the Netherlands, health insurance is compulsory with the government subsidizing insurance for people that can't afford it. Equally, it's compulsory for all insurance companies to accept patients that apply to be covered, and the government compensates companies for their 'riskier' patients. Burridge looks at how successful the Dutch experiment has been and talks to American expatriates - who help compare and contrast the two systems - as well as an insurer, doctor and patient. Back in the studio, Freitalks to a family about their experience struggling to pay for medical bills.

BBC World News America airs weeknights at 7pm on BBC America and the 24-hour global BBC World News channel.