ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the availability of physicians is the key determinant of whether all of the nearby inhabitants in an area will be able to access a physician if and when they need to do so. Congress established the National Health Service Corps, which made special funding available to physicians and other scarce health care workers who were willing to relocate for a number of years to practice in underserved areas. The chapter looks at several other major departures in public policy during the critical three-year period that also influenced the number and types of physicians to be trained for future practice. Health care policy that was broader in nature but was affected by, and in turn itself affected the physician supply was the creation of community health centers. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
