Cataract Surgery and Quality of Life

Even though Kaiser is probably the best of all the HMOs (“Ailing HealthCare System May Get Kaiser-Style Cure,” May 10), the Clinton health care task force should ponder why the majority of Americans are not already enrolled before making such a pivotal decision. Certainly, a Chevy pickup truck is probably an adequate machine for its price, but should we mandate everyone to have one?

Certainly many of us in private practice, including myself, have been consulted by HMO patients, including Kaiser, to seek a second opinion on their treatment, often resulting in rather different conclusions. Since these patients are paying for our services from their own pockets, such hidden costs are never accounted for in evaluating the cost-effectiveness of many HMOs.

My advice to the Clinton Administration would be to first get his Cabinet and family members enrolled in one of the HMOs using aliases. Only through such personal experience will they find out how effective any system is. Until then, please allow us to have more choices to groom our most vital asset, our health.

JOHN T. CHIU, MD

Corona del Mar