The articles in this journal issue provide an overview of ways in which health services are presently delivered to children, youth, and pregnant women; the means by which these services are financed; and some of the major deficiencies in meeting the health needs of these groups. In the first article, the Center for the Future of Children presents several recommendations for policies to make the United States health care system more responsive to the needs of children and pregnant women. The second article offers an analysis of the health care system that focuses on the relationship between health care and children's health, and examines the issues of efficiency, access, and affordability. The succeeding articles are: (1) "Child and Adolescent Health Status Measures" (Barbara Starfield); (2) "Effectiveness of Health Care Services for Pregnant Women and Infants" (Andrew D. Racine, Theodore J. Joyce, Michael Grossman); (3) "Health Care Services for Children and Adolescents" (James Perrin, Bernard Guyer, Jean M. Lawrence); (4) "Health Care Resources for Children and Pregnant Women" (Janet D. Perloff); (5) "Expenditures on Health Care for Children and Pregnant Women" (Eugene M. Lewit, Alan C. Monheit); (6) "The Role of Private Health Insurance in Children's Health Care" (John F. Sheils, Patrice R. Wolfe); (7) "The Role of Medicaid and Other Government Programs in Providing Medical Care for Children and Pregnant Women" (Ian T. Hill); (8) "Children without Health Insurance" (Alan C. Monheit, Peter J. Cunningham); (9) "Nonfinancial Barriers to the Receipt of Medical Care" (Lorraine V. Klerman); and (10) "Child Indicators: Teenage Childbearing" (Eugene M. Lewit). References are included at the end of each article, and a selected bibliography concluded the collection. (TJQ)