The Idaho Statesman
November 30, 2003
Doctor who ‘walked the walk’ dies in Boise at 63
Dr. Bob LeBow, a tireless advocate for health-care reform who was severely injured in a 2002 bicycle accident, died Saturday in a Boise hospital.
LeBow, 63, spent more than 30 years working to provide medical services
to those who can least afford them.
LeBow’s accident came shortly after the publication of his book “Health Care Meltdown,” an indictment of a system that grants access to medical care
based on ability to pay.
A former president of Physicians for a National Health Program, LeBow
continued to campaign for health-care reform after his devastating injury.
In August, he spoke at a news conference in Philadelphia, advocating a
national health insurance program. With words that echo his lifelong passion and service, LeBow said, “It is time to put the patient first – not last – in the setting of priorities.”
http://www.idahostatesman.com/story.asp?ID=55031
Health Care Meltdown (Benefiting needy patients at Terry Reilly Health
Services):
http://www.trhs.org/bobsbook/
Comment: In Bob’s own words:
“The U.S. also is the only developed country where getting sick or injured can, and all too frequently does, lead to bankruptcy. …
“Our employer-based health insurance system is outmoded, illogical and needs to be replaced. Perverse incentives make our health care system a poor value for the amount we spend. Health care needs to return to an emphasis on health, not cost or profit. …”
http://www.idahostatesman.com/story.asp?I