Integrating Effective Prevention into Public Health Practice

A recent World Health Organization study supports the contention that the US health care system is expensive, ineffective, and inequitable and lends credibility to ethicists' assertions that medical, pharmaceutical, and hospital groups have failed to meet their social responsibilities. Two recent national reports reveal that government agencies, voluntary associations, professional associations, and academic experts also are contributing to the problems of the system. Carlton and Simon offer some suggestions for improving the system, such as focusing efforts on preventive health care.