Health Care Meltdown

Library Journal

As a family physician who spent more than 30 years serving low-income clients at a community medical clinic in Idaho and a former president of Physicians for a National Health Program, LeBow was shocked by the abuses and cruelty of America's healthcare system. When he became paralyzed after a biking accident, he witnessed the inequities from a patient's perspective. LeBow describes American healthcare financing as a disorganized, overly complex "monster" that robs people of their health, their money, and their dignity. He points to the waste, fraud, abuse, burdensome paperwork, and pressures by special interest groups, pharmaceutical firms, and insurance companies that make healthcare unaffordable for over 40 million people in the United States. He asserts that Americans are clueless about how medical care works in other countries and refutes 13 myths about the quality of U.S. healthcare, including our inabilitry to provide universal coverage. LeBow makes a strong case for an economically sound, comprehensive national health program that includes all of our citizens. His clarion call for change is a necessary acquisition for all libraries.-Irwin Weintraub, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.