An Era of Stress for Health Institutions: The 1980s

The United States enters the 1980s beset with serious economic problems. The picture currently projected from long-term economic forecasts supplemented by national opinion polls for the early to mid-1980s suggests a downturn in our nation's economy and a sharp decrease in monies available for further growth or improvements in America's medical care system. These prospects have serious implications for many of America's most important health care institutions, their health professionals, and how they plan for the future. (JAMA 1981;245:1843-1845).