In the present efforts to 'reform' or 'reorganize' the U.S. health care system, Stephen P. Strickland's account of the history of U.S. health policy pinpoints the past lessons of what does and does not work in health care policy and implementation. The author focuses his study on the origins, development and demise of one of the most unusual Great Society programs, in an effort to insure all Americans access to recent medical advances.