February 21, 2002 | Read Time: 1 minute
Health Policies for the 21st Century: Challenges and Recommendations for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, by Jo Ivey Boufford and Philip R. Lee, recommends a reassessment of existing federal health policies and programs, and identifies obstacles to a more comprehensive health policy. Contemporary health policy is grounded in “a system of medical care and public health designed for another era,” the authors of this report say. Among the key challenges they see are the changing nature of health problems in the United States, including the rise in chronic illness and substance abuse, and the need to deal with problems affecting personal health care, including rising costs. The report was published by the Milbank Memorial Fund, a foundation that supports research on issues in health policy.
