toward the assumed lower prices of Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) health plans. HMOs spend billions of dollars

each year advertising their low cost services. While these savings look good on paper, there are many pages of small print. The

explanation after the asterisk indicates that not only do the HMOs lack lower costs, but they also short-change the patient in

quality care. Much of the money spent on premiums goes directly into the pockets of stockholders and less is then available for

patient care. In addition, the main clinical decisions are made not by doctors, but by a board of directors more interested in the

bottom line than in little Jennie's cough. When the facts are considered, HMOs should not be permitted to assume the role of

Traditional insurance companies and HMOs have comparable premium rates. HMOs are too profit oriented and, because of

this, their patient care lacks in quality. One way that HMOs cut their costs is to spend less on direct care. As opposed to

fee-for-service (FFS) companies, patients

which a physician receives a certain amount of money per patient no matter the frequency of office visits. Dr. Ronet Lev, an

doctors are forced to sign a "gag order," which forbids them to advise their patients about expensive medical care which their

which employers nationwide saw a drop in their health insurance costs -- and it was an almost imperceptible 1 percent. These

Part of the monies generated by HMOs is used to pay stockholder dividends; the demands of the investors must be met. In

However when needless tests and procedures are done the treatment will cost more. This is waste. Many suggest that cutting

uncertain effectiveness, ethically troubling, and allocationally ineffective (Marmor 89). No one disagrees that harmful care

blood is drawn, a culture taken, and an electrocardiogram performed. An EKG in this case is not medically necessary, but

of patient referrals to specialists and to ensure the care given comes at the least expense. "These financial incentives create what

Some topics in this essay:
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