Foreword
Despite a century of innovations in medical procedures, technologies, and treatments, the Nation’s health care system is in trouble. Annual health care costs (now about 16 percent of gross national product) are skyrocketing, the number of uninsured is at an all-time high, and public satisfaction is sinking. A large portion of health care is paid for by employer-based insurance, and with medical costs outpacing inflation, American firms are scaling back on the coverage they offer. At the same time, the cost burden on the government is about to soar, as baby boomers retire and become eligible for Medicare and the…
