In a recent editorial, Dr Claude Lenfant,1 a leading cardiovascular health policymaker, reflected on hypertension control in the United States. Dr Lenfant provided a lucid review of progress over the almost 30-year life of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP). He also cited the failure to reach the Healthy People 2000 goal, with only 50% of those with hypertension having their blood pressure controlled. It is a sobering fact that the actual control rates in 1994 (the latest year for which data for Healthy People 2000 are available) were far less, namely 23%, with control rates a depressing 10% in men aged 18 to 74 years.2