Medical Service in U.S. Being Infiltrated by HMOs

What’s happening to the wonderful system of medical care that has made the United States the world’s leader in medical research and technology? It is being infiltrated by a type of medical care known as a health maintenance organization (HMO), which is now providing medical services for almost 10% of Americans. Most of the for-profit HMOs are owned by corporate giants who see the medical care field as a new arena for gigantic profits.

A new Rand Corp. five-year study compared a Seattle HMO with an insurance plan using fee-for-service physicians. They found that healthy middle-class people did fine with HMOs. Unfortunately, patients who were poor and ailing when they joined the HMO did significantly worse than those under the care of fee-for-serivce physicians.

What am I as a physician doing when I see myself threatened with the loss of my freedom to practice quality medicine and my patients are being told that they no longer will be able to choose their own physician? I am fighting back.

A number of physicians in Los Angeles (and other groups across the country) have formed organizations to offer an alternative to increasing government and corporate control of medicine. Physicians Who Care of Southern California was formed with two goals in mind--to preserve the quality of medical care, and the freedom of the patient to choose his own physician.

We have a tremendous asset to help us accomplish our aims--our patients. By the use of informational pamphlets, letters, and direct discussions, we will make sure that they understand the choices available to them. We will go to rest homes and senior citizens centers to present our case. After all, that’s where the HMOs are going, to recruit patients. Our pharmacy committee is approaching medical pharmacies and asking them to discount prescription drugs to our patients. Our member physicians will then list the names of the pharmacies in our waiting rooms.

My colleagues and I cannot believe that the American public is willing to accept a second-rate brand of medical care. We plan to utilize all available communications tools and media to make the case for traditional, high quality medicine.

RONALD BRONOW MD

Los Angeles