How Effective Will National Health Insurance Be?

Discussions of national health insurance for the population of the United States are increasing. The problems of the medical care system, which have led to these proposals, are discussed, and the possible effects of the principal legislative plans are analyzed. These effects range from further inflation of medical care prices to solutions for some of the more serious problems. All the proposed legislation would provide medical care insurance but not health insurance; the latter would require far broader social action than is called for in any of these plans.