HEALTH

Doctors Mull Forming HMO: The California Medical Assn., a professional group representing 37,000 doctors, is in talks with Wausau Insurance Cos., of Wausau, Wisc., about forming a statewide physician-run health maintenance organization. CMA spokesman Paul Moreno said there is widespread dissatisfaction among doctors about the growing influence that for-profit HMOs and other managed care companies are having on their professional lives. The plan, to be called California Health Care, would include a statewide network of physicians that would seek contracts with large regional and statewide employers. The organization “will be philosophically dedicated to maximizing the percentage of (insurance premium dollars) spent on the delivery of health care and minimizing the percentage spent on administration and overhead,” said Dr. Ronald P. Bangasser, president of the group. The CMA and Wausau hope to decide within 60 days whether to go forward with the project, he said.