L.A. Business Tax Break for HMOs

Re “Riordan Backs Tax Break to Keep HMOs,” Jan. 31:

HMOs have continuously cut their fees to doctors and hospitals, while limiting access and treatments to their enrollees. Now they have the audacity to band together to strong-arm the city of L.A. into reducing their taxes.

These are the same HMOs that pay their CEOs multimillion-dollar salaries and reward their stockholders with great returns. If five doctors or hospitals get together to try and fight them and their continued cuts, they open themselves to the Sherman Antitrust Act and quadruple damages. The HMOs can band together and repeat to everyone in their path, “Do what we want or we’ll cancel our contract with you.” Will anyone ever have to courage to stand up to these companies, or will government ever level the playing field between the HMOs and the patients, doctors and hospitals that fight them?

LARRY AMBERG MD

Torrance

* The loss of revenue caused by Riordan’s tax breaks for HMOs will have to be made up by the taxpayers, making HMOs government-subsidized businesses. This is also called “socialized medicine.”

Let’s stop all the demagoguing, get rid of the exorbitant profit, executive salaries and administrative and marketing expenses, and join the rest of the industrialized world in universal, single-payer government-funded health care.

MICHAEL DAVIDSON

Long Beach