Paying for Medical Care in the United States.

This study was made by the research staff of Columbia University under a grant from the Health Information Foundation to analyze "the methods used by the people of the United States in paying for medical care." The author states the three objectives of the research: to identify and discuss the sources of funds used by the public to defray medical expenses, to evaluate these methods, and to consider the possibilities for further development of the current methods of paying for medical care. The discussion throughout is limited to illness and to the methods of paying for its treatment. The Columbia staff did not undertake any new research but used the large amount of existing work in the area of medical care payments as a background for analysis. The information on medical payments was derived from government agencies and from private research organizations and those representing special groups, operating units, and