Biomedical Ethics Reviews • 1990 is the eighth volume in a series of texts designed to review and update the literature on issues of central importance in bioethics today. Two topics are discussed in the present volume: (1) Should the United States Adopt a National Health Insurance Plan? and (2) Are the NIH Guidelines Adequate for the Care and Protection of Laboratory Animals? Each topic constitutes a separate section in our text; introductory essays briefly summarize the contents of each section. Bioethics is, by its nature, interdisciplinary in character. Recog­ nizing this fact, the authors represented in the present volume have made every effort to minimize the use of technical jargon. At the same time, we believe the purpose of providing a review of the recent literature, as well as of advancing bioethical discussion, is admirably served by the pieces collected herein. We look forward to the next volume in our series, and very much hope the reader will also.