isms. This great potential for alleviating human suffering has thus resulted in the emergence of pharmacy as a leading career.
At present, the role of the pharmacist is fairly well defined. Less certain, however, is the role of pharmaceutical professionals in the future. The United States' health care system, in general, is currently undergoing considerable change. Many people believe that all Americans deserve a comprehensive national health insurance program. Hence, such reforms are now being discussed by government.
Perhaps the main impetus for health care reform has been its rising cost. National expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product (GNP) have increased from 4.4% in 1950 to over 11% of the United States' GNP by 1990. In recent years, insurance premium rates have increased by an average of 15% to 30% a year. The United States now spends 14% of its gross domestic product on medical care--a proportion far greater than any other country.
Various factors are responsible for such high costs. These include inflation, America's aging population, and inefficiencies in the health care delivery system. Achieving an efficient delivery system depends primarily on the integrity of all those involved--i.e., the patient, the supplier of services, a
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