Now, as when this book was originally published in 1982, health services have shown themselves only too capable of absorbing a large share of the resources that nations have available for public and private expenditure. Then, as now, as nations are faced with problems of slow or negative economic growth, government resources are increasingly directed towards setting limits on the resources absorbed by the health sector. Looking especially at the UK and USA, the book explores the challenges that countries face in attempting to improve the health and well-being of their communities through conscious planning of health-related activities. It is argued that there is often a huge credibility gap between the rhetoric of comprehensive planning and the reality of health policy-making and planning in many societies. The book identifies feasible approaches that can be made to improve decision-making in the health sector.