Women's health care for the coming millennium

In examining ways to improve female health care access and utilization, the magnitude of health problems must be examined before the design of solutions. Two types of barriers interfere with health care: attitudinal barriers blocking motivation to seek health care services and organizational barriers which block actual use of needed services. The major health problems of women in the United States are heart disease, cancer, stroke, lung-related diseases, intentional injuries, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. Public health has had a greater impact than high technology on the health of our nation. Balancing health care reform, changes in legislation and funding for medical education should help the United States be responsive to the challenge to move from substandard health for many women to superlative health care for all women and their family members.