DISEASES WITH FAIRLY QUICK AND SOMETIMES INCAPACITATING ONSET. PEOPLE EITHE DIE OR RECOVER FROM ACUTE DISEASES.

PROGRESS OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND OFTEN EXIST LONG BEFORE THEY ARE DETECTED.

WITH INDUSTRIALIZATION, THERE HAS BEEN A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN LIFE EXPECTANCY.

TODAY, FOUR OUT OF THE FIVE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH ARE CHRONIC DISEASES.

THE FIFTH BEING ACCIDENTS.

ACUTE INFECTIOUS DISEASES HAVE BECOME RELATIVELY UNIMPORTANT IN TERMS OF MORTALITY.

CHRONIC DISEASES CONFRONT SOCIETY WITH A DIFFERENT SET OF PROBLEMS.

EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASE CALLS FOR CONTINUAL RATHER THAN INTERMITTENT HEALTH CARE AND MAY REQUIRE THAT PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR LIFE-STYLES.

FURTHER, THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND LEAST EXPENSIVE WAY OF DEALING WITH MOST CHRONIC DISEASES IS PROBABLY PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, CHANGES IN LIFE-STYLE OR OTHER STEPS THAT HELP AVOID THE OCCURRENCE OF DISEASE.

YET MODERN MEDICINE IS NOT ORGANIZED AROUND PREVENTION BUT RATHER TOWARD CURATIVE OR CRISIS MEDICINE: TREATING PEOPLE'S ILLNESS AFTER THEY BECOME ILL.

WITH CHRONIC DISEASES, HOWEVER, MUCH DAMAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE--AND OFTEN CANNOT BE REVERSED--BY THE TIME SYMPTOMS MANIFEST THEMSELVES.

TO DATE, PREVENTIVE MEDICINE HAS HAD CONSIDERABLY LOWER PRIORITY--IN TERMS OF RESEARCH AND PROGRAM FUNDING, AND THE ALLOCATION OF HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL.

SO ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEM AREAS IN THE HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM TODAY IS THAT OUR HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION HAS NOT ADAPTED TO THE CHANGING NATURE OF DISEASE.

THE EFFECT OF SES ON HEALTH IS VERY CLEAR: THOSE WHO ARE LOWER ON SUCH THINGS AS INCOME, EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT, AND OCCUPATIONAL STATUS HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER DISEASE RATES AND DEATH RATES THAN DO THEIR MORE AFFLUENT COUNTERPARTS.

REGARDING INFANT MORTALITY, POOR WOMEN ARE LESS LIKELY TO HAVE PRENATAL CHECKUPS AND MORE LIKELY TO HAVE POOR DIETS THAT RESULT IN INFANTS WITH LOW BIRTH WEIGHTS.

FINALLY THE MEDICAL CARE THAT THE POOR DO RECEIVE IS LIKELY TO BE OF LOWER QUALITY. NOT ALL ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICAID, STILL SOME OUT OF POCKET COSTS.

THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE TREATED IN A HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM WHERE CONTINUITY OF CARE, FOLLOW-UP TREATMENT, AND PATIENT EDUCATION ARE LESS COMMON THAN IN A PHYSICIAN'S OFFICE.

IF WE CONSIDER LONGEVITY AS THE KEY MEASURE OF HEALTH, WOMEN APPEAR TO BE HEALTHIER THAN MEN.

THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF WOMEN TODAY IS SEVEN YEARS HIGHER THAN THAT OF MEN, COMPARED WITH ONLY THREE YEARS MORE AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

WOMEN ALSO HAVE LOWER RATES OF MOST SERIOUS CHRONIC ILLNESSES. WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THESE DIFFENCES?

FIRST, IT MAY WELL BE THAT WOMEN ARE BIOLOGICALLY MORE CAPABLE OF SURVIVAL THAN ARE MEN. MALES HAVE HIGHER DEATH RATES THAN FEMALES AT EVERY AGE, INCLUDING DEATHS OF FETUSES.

HIGHER MORTALITY RATES AMONG MALES IS ALSO DUE TO TRADITIONAL SEX-ROLE DEFINITIONS THAT ENCOURAGE MALES TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND TO SEEK MORE STRESSFUL AND DANGEROUS OCCUPATIONS.

IN ADDITION, THE LIFE-STYLES OF AMERICAN MEN HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN LESS HEALTHY THAN THOSE OF WOMEN. THEY SMOKE MORE, DRINK MORE, EAT MORE.

AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE AT A SERIOUS DISADVANTAGE WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH, HAVING CONSIDERABLY HIGHER DEATH RATES, SHORTER LIFE EXPECTANCIES AND MORE LIFE-THREATENING HEALTH CONDITIONS.

ONE MAJOR REASON FOR THIS IS SES. YET EVEN WHEN SES IS CONTROLLED, SOME RACIAL DIFFERENCES PERSIST.

ONE HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THE COMBINATION OF YEARS OF RACIAL OPPRESSION, POVERTY, AND PHYSICALLY DEMANDING OCCUPATIONS PROBABLY WORKS TO CAUSE ILLNESS.

ALL OF THESE ARE RELATED TO STRESS, THIS STESS, IN TURN, PRODUCES GREATER SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASE.

NATIVE AMERICAN, ESPECIALLY THOSE ON RESERVATIONS, HAVE DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH MORTALITY RATES.

MUCH IS DUE TO HIGH RATES OF ACCIDENTS, SUICIDE, ALCOHOLISM CAUSED BY PROBLEMS OF POVERTY, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND CULTURAL DISINTEGRATION.

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT BETWEEN 70 AND 90% OF ALL HUMAN CANCERS ARE CAUSED IN PART BY ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, SUCH AS POLLUTION IN THE WATER, SOIL AND AIR.

INDUSTRIALIZATION HAS UNQUESTIONABLY IMPROVED OUR LIVES, BUT IT HAS ALSO CREATED HEALTH HAZARDS LARGELY UNKNOWN IN PREINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES AND THAT CONTRIBUTE TO DEATH AND MISERY.

OCCUPATIONAL STRESS IS LINKED TO HEART DISEASE AND HYPERTENSION. UNEMPLOYMENT, OR EVEN THE THREAT OF IT, IS ASSOCIATED WITH MANY PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS.

THE USE OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND OTHER DRUGS CAN ALSO CAUSE SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS.

THERE EVEN APPEARS TO BE AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HEALTH AND THE QUALITY OF A PERSON'S FAMILY LIFE.

PEOPLE WHO ARE MARRIED AND HAVE CHILDREN ARE HEALTHIER THAN PEOPLE WHO ARE SINGLE AND HAVE NO CHILDREN.

ANY OVERALL SOLUTION TO HEALTH PROBLEMS MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE WAYS IN WHICH PEOPLE'S LIVES CAN BE CHANGED TO IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH.

WE COULD GO ON AT LENGTH ON THIS TOPIC, BUT THE POINT SHOULD BE CLEAR: THERE ARE MANY ELEMENTS OF OUR LIFE-STYLE THAT ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR HEALTH.

PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES FOR HEALTH CARE HAVE INCREASED OVER 30FOLD SINCE 1950.

WE NOW PAY $2,566 EACH YEAR FOR HEALTH CARE GOODS AND SERVICES FOR EACH MAN, WOMAN, AND CHILD IN THE U.S.

INFLATION ACCOUNTS FOR SOME OF THIS INCREASE, BUT INFLATION DURING THE SAME PERIOD INCREASED OVERALL PRICES ONLY ABOUT FOUR TIME.

FIRST, OUR POPULATION IS LARGER, MORE AFFLUENT, AND OLDER, AND THESE FACTORS TEND TO INCREASE THE DEMAND FOR A FINITE AMOUNT OF HEALTH CARE GOODS AND SERVICES.

OLDER PEOPLE HAVE MORE HEALTH PROBLEMS AND REQUIRE MORE HEALTH-CAR SERVICES. AFFLUENT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD MORE AND BETTER HEALTH CARE.

SECOND, IS THE AVAILABILITY OF DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT PROCEDURES THAT WERE UNHEARD OF FIVE, TEN, OR TWENTY YEARS AGO.

THESE PROCEDURES CAN BE VERY COSTLY. PREMATURE BABIES WHO WOULD HAVE DIED TWO DECADES AGO ARE NOW SAVED IN EXPENSIVE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNITS (BUT AT A COST FROM $200,000 TO $1 MILLION FOR AN INFANT WHO WEIGHS ONLY ONE POUNT AT BIRTH).

THE HEALTH CARE FINANCING ADMINISTRATION ESTIMATES THAT NEW TECHNOLOGIES ACCOUNT FOR 37% OF THE RECENT RISE IN HEALTH CARE COSTS.

THIRD, HEALTH CARE IS A LABOR INTENSIVE INDUSTRY--IT REQUIRES MANY PEOPLE TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE--AND THE COST OF HEALTH CARE RISES WITH THEIR WAGES.

ALSO, SAVINGS THROUGH AUTOMATION ARE NOT AS EASY TO ACHIEVE IN THE HEALTH FIELDS AS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES.

FOURTH, ECONOMIC COMPETITION AND THE CHECK ON COSTS THAT THIS CAN AFFORD ARE WEAKER IN THE HEALTH FIELD THAN IN OTHER ECONOMIC AREAS.

FIFTH, THERE IS A TENDENCY TOWARD OVERUTILIZATION OF HEALTH-CARE SERVICES AND EVEN TO PERFORM UNNECESSARY DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT PROCEDURES.

IN 1992 CONSUMER REPORTS PUBLISHED A STUDY CONCLUDEING THAT AS MUCH AS 20% OF ALL SURGERIES AND MEDICAL SERVICES PROVIDED IN THE U.S. ARE UNNECESSARY.

THESE SURGERIES AND TREATMENTS COST HEALTH CARE COSUMERS SOME $130 BILLION EACH YEAR.

FINALLY, FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO RISING COSTS ALSO INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF MALPRACTICE SUITS AND THE SIZE OF THE FINANCIAL JUDGEMENTS AGAINST PHYSICIANS IN THESE LITIGATIONS.

MALPRACTICE PREMIUMS FOR PHYSICIANS ROSE BY 18% PER YEAR IN THE 1980s, WITH SOME SPECIALTIES SEEING MUCH GREATER INCREASES. THIS RISE IN COSTS IS THEN PASSED ON TO THE CONSUMER.

THERE ARE MANY POWERFUL INTEREST GROUPS BENEFITTING FROM RISING COSTS: PHYSICIANS, HOSPITALS, THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY, AND SO ON.

HEALTH-CARE CONSUMERS BENEFIT MOST FROM CONTROLLING COSTS, BUT THEY HAVE YET TO ORGANIZE INTO A POWERFUL LOBBY GROUP.

WE HAVE SEEN HOW EXPENSIVE HEALTH CARE IS TODAY, WHICH MEANS THAT ONLY THE WEALTHIEST CAN PAY OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET FOR MEDICAL SERVICES.

MOST AMERICANS RELY ON HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDED BY EMPLOYERS AS PART OF THEIR COMPENSATION FOR THEIR LABOR.

SINCE MEDICAID BECAME AVAILABLE IN THE 1960s, THE HEALTH CARE USE RATES AMONG THE POOR HAVE INCREASED. HOWEVER, CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN ONE-HALF OF THE POOR ARE ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICAID.

AS A CONSEQUENCE, FULLY ONE-THIRD OF THE POOREST AMERICANS UNDER THE AGE OF 65 HAVE NO HELATH INSURANCE AT ALL, ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE IS QUITE LIMITED.

IN ADDITION TO THE POOR, THERE ARE OTHERS WHO FIND THEMSELVES WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE: LAID-OFF EMPLOYEES; PEOPLE WHO RETIRE BEFORE THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE; YOUNG PEOLE WHO ARE TOO OLD FOR COVERAGE UNDER THEIR PARENT'S PLAN, WIDOWS, WIDOWERS, AND DIVORCED PEOPLE WHO HAD DEPENDED ON THEIR SPOUSE'S HEALTH INSURANCE.

ALL TOGETHER, ABOUT 40 MILLION AMERICANS, OR 15 PERCENT OF OUR POPULATION, ARE WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE.

ANOTHER DIMENSION OF ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE IS THE AVAILABILITY OF SERVICES.

IN THIS REGARD IT HAS BEEN RESIDENTS OF THE INNER CIY AND RURAL AREAS WHO ARE UNDERSERVED.

PHYSICIANS PREFER TO PRACTICE IN LOCALS WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE TO LIVE AND CAN FIND A PROFITABLE CLIENTELE, AND NEITHER THE INNER CITY NOR RURAL AREAS CAN SATISFY THIS PREFERENCE.

ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE IS ALSO AFFECTED BY THE AVAILABILITY OF "PRIMARY CARE" PHSYICIANS WHO SERVE AS A PERSON'S FIRST CONTACT WITH THE SYSTEM.

WHETHER FOR THE MONEY, OR THE DESIRE TO LEARN WELL A SMALL PART OF THE FIELD, PHYSICIANS OF THE PAST FEW DECADES HAVE OPTED FOR SPECIALTY TRAINING.

PRIMARY CARE WAS A TASK PERFORMED BY GENERAL PRACTITIONERS IN THE PAST, BUT GPs ARE NOW ON THE DECLINE, WITH ONLY ABOUT 12% OF PHYSICIANS NOW ACTING AS GPs.