hmos takes the care out of health care Essay -- essays research papers

HMOs Take The C ar Out Of health C ar.In the early mid-nineties insurance companies, in attempt to control spiraling medical examination costs, composed what would be termed health maintenance organizations, also known as HMOs. What HMOs do is create a team of doctors and medical personnel that the long-sufferings agrees to use. Within the contracts both the patient and the doctor sign, limits and restrictions are put on what the hospital will recover and what they will or will not provide in aim to keep the costs mastered. At the beginning, these organizations were successful in bringing medical costs round and has made health insurance more affordable than ever. However, the contracts that the HMOs make believe you sign basically limits the doctor on how he or she can treat their patients, thus putting their job as the physician in the hands of the HMO. As profits began to go up and down these organizations have put more effort into keeping their costs down and have los t sight of actually caring fir the patients they are insuring.To prove my thesis in this paper I will discuss how our senior citizens and the chronically ill have been hurt by late prunes their HMOs have made. I will discuss the many reports of HMO inattention and the issues concerning the patient doctor relationship. I will also go into what actions, or lack thereof, our government has taken in response to HMO woes. wholly of these points will show that HMOs have lost the concept for caring for their patients including our elders who are one genre that are being hit hard by the actions these HMOs have taken.In January of 2001, nearly one million senior citizens were kicked break through of their Medicare health plan (Whats Behind 1). Why have so many HMOs dropped these health plans? The reason why is because these Medicare programs are for the elderly only(prenominal) and simply were not profitting, and in response, the insurance companies shut them down. The HMOs claim that national reimbursement levels were not keeping up with the medical cost inflation forcing them to cut these programs. For instance, in 2001, the governments reimbursement to the HMOs went up only 2 pct while the insurance companys costs went up in the midst of 11 and 13 percent (par.3). Though the reimbursement level issues may have contributed to the HMOs decision to cut these pro... ...ted high levels of stress associated with dealing the multiple agencies and healthcare providers. Since managed cares beginning, the way medical care has been provided and delivered as drastically changed, and this trend is more than likely to continue. No one is going to be hit harder by these changes than the families who have children with complex chronic medical conditions. workplace CitedAlleger, Irene. HMOs- Business Masquerading as Medical Care. Towsned Letter for Doctors and Patients 215 (2002) 135. par. 9.Almanac of polity Issues. Universal health Care Coverage. March 29, 2005.Americ an Medical pupil Association. Myths & Facts About Single-Payer Universal Coverage. Marc.h 29, 2005Canadian Health Care . Canadian Health Care. March 29,2005.HHSHMOs Ignore Medical Incompotence. International Council fpr Health & Human Services 5.21 (2001) 1-2 par. 17.Tuleya, R.J. The HMO Dilema. Nutrition Health Review The Consumers Medical Journal 79 (1999) 3. par. 22.Whats Behind the Medicare Woes? Peoples Medical Society Newsletter 19.6 (2001) 1-2 par. 7.Universal Health Care. Summary of recommendations distressing Health and Homeless. March 29, 2005.