This book examines the role of government in developing the system of health services in the U.S. mainly during the years 1930 through 1980. It traces the building of this system during this critical period within the framework of the overarching economic, social, and political policiesadopted by American governments. The author's range of coverage is extremely broad, from "public health" through medical care, health manpower, health facilities, national development of local health planning, and regulation of private services. Medicare care and the special circumstances that ledto the failure to establish a system of universal and comprehensive medical care coverage--an outcome unique among the developed democracies of the world--are emphasized. Environmental health protection and health education are treated in considerable detail, and again the particular paths followedin their development are shown to reflect the ways in which American society as a whole has evolved. The book contributes to an understanding of what actually happened in the 50 developmental years in contrast to widely accepted notions about the inexorable outcome of government health serviceprograms based on some strongly arguable theoretical formulations. Although the primary emphasis is on social policy analysis, the descriptive treatment of health service structures is sufficiently detailed so that the book can serve as a text and reference on health services practice andorganization. No other volume of comparable scope and depth is available, and this book is also unique in the degree to which it embeds health services policy analysis in the theory and practice of the social welfare state.