1. The unrealized hope of welfare reform: implications for health care; 2. The health care welfare state in America; 3. The tattered health care safety net for poor Americans; 4. State differences in health care policies and coverage; 5. Work and health insurance: a tenuous tie for the working poor; 6. Confronting the system: minority group identity and powerlessness; 7. The nonexistent safety net for parents; 8. Health care for all Americans.