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Patches or Whole Cloth?

William W. Cleveland, MD

Am J Dis Child. 1991;145(5):499-504.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

The current health care system of the United States, like a quilt that is tattered and full of holes, badly needs attention. The question is whether we should repair it with patches or replace it with a new quilt of whole cloth. That the system needs fixing is evident; the deficiencies have been described by abundant commentaries. The major deficiencies include those cited below.

The Uninsured.

—An estimated 37 million people in the United States do not have health insurance. Of these, about 12 million are children; another major segment comprises pregnant women. These numbers are estimated to have increased approximately 30% in the last decade. This reflects lack of employee coverage, particularly in small businesses, and a high rate of job turnover. It also reflects an inadequate Medicaid program that varies by state but that generally leaves a significant fraction of indigent families uncovered. The problem of uninsured children . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Miami (Fla).

Footnotes
Accepted for publication January 11, 1991.

Reprint requests to Department of Pediatrics, PO Box 016980 (R 131), Miami, FL 33101 (Dr Cleveland).

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