Triglycerides up to 40.10%
Raise your good HDL cholesterol up to 52.50%
|
Food For Thought © copyrighted What HMO'S and Doctors Won't Tell You Could Cost You Your Life? September 18th, 2000 |
by columnist David Lawrence Dewey "Reading provides knowledge... knowledge leads to answers." |
SEARCH HOME Previous Columns |
Rosemary Dudley in Fort Worth Texas thought she had received the best of care in fighting her cancer in 1995 from her HMO doctor. Not because she belonged to an HMO, but because she
also worked for the doctor as his nurse.
However, in 1997 things changed. He told her a recent followup CAT scan showed no
recurrence of the cancer she'd battled for two years, she believed him except for one thing.
When she complained about the knot on her jaw, he only replied that a referral to a cancer
specialist for the knot on her jaw wasn't necessary. The reason... her health maintenance
organization paid him thousands in bonuses for holding the line on such costs.
Four months later in January, 1998 she decided to take matters into her own hand. She went to
another physician, paying for it out of her own pocket. He ordered another CAT scan and it
showed the cancer had moved from her jaw into her lung, to the bones in her ribs, hips and legs.
It was terminal. It had gone too long without being treated.
Rosemary sued her doctor and former employer. Dudley along with a group of separate patients
are sued the Harris Methodist Health Plan, ( keep in mind the word Methodist ) on that basis that
the HMO offered financial incentives to keep costs down. The Harris Health Plan paid nearly $6
million to settle the class action lawsuits and resolve Dudley’s case in an indisclosed amount.
Shortly after this, The Texas Deparment of Insurance fined Harris $100,000, citing a state law
banning financial incentives that provide inducement to limit medical care. It ordered the HMO to
pay another $3.4 million to physicians that had been penalized under the system.
It is rather hard under present state and federal laws to sue HMO’s for malpractice, however the
cases against Harris focused on treatment incentives and disincentives which are suppose to be
illegal under Texas Law. Or so the people of Texas thought.
This last summer, ruling in another case, the U.S. Supreme Court said such incentives do not
violate an HMO's fiduciary duty under federal law. "In an HMO system, a physician's
financial interest lies in providing less care, not more," Supreme Court Justice David Souter said.
"No HMO organization could survive without some incentive connecting physician reward with
treatment rationing." His statement is the bare truth of of the matter which our politicians in
Washington continue to ignore to makes changes in the laws to forbid this type of health for
profit.
Americans need to know about this recent ruling because it will affect the various laws against
incentives and disincentives in Texas and 22 other states. It also leaves wind open now for
HMO’s to continue even more this practice without fear now of a lawsuit. If such incentives are
legal as ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court how will affect care for the millions in HMO that are
aging and developing health problems?
What are some of the incentives/rules that HMO’s have for doctors. Although not all HMO’s
use all of these, these are the most widely used practices. And the doctors in these HMO’s that
you are sitting across from will not tell you these either.
Ordering expensive tests or treatments on patients can be deducted from a doctors pay in an
HMO. In some HMO’s, such as in Illinois, they actually receive bonuses for providing less care
because less expenses mean for profit for the HMO. Doctors are paid a set amount for each visit
ranging from $8 to $12. If they order too many tests, some do not even get the fee and may also
have costs deducted from their paycheck. So patients can become financial burdens to the doctor
not the HMO.
Dr. Beatrice Murray, a pediatrician in Grand Rapids, Michigan lost her private practice because
she cared too much amount the children she treated. She was a contracted HMO doctor,
however the HMO started deducting expensive from her $10 fees per visits. She wound up
literally going bankrupt caring for children out of her own pocket when the HMO should have
been picking up the tab.
It has gotten so bad recently in some HMO’s that some doctors head of a financial burden by not
accepting certain patients with known costly health problems. There are many documented cases
where doctors in HMO’s have refused to see a patient because they have diabetes, cancer and
especially if they are disabled from some condition or injury. There are doctors that do still follow
their health oath, but when they do, they usually get fired from the HMO. A recent case in was
where a doctor was fired becasuse he actually attracted these type of people because of his being
known as a good doctor.
Some HMO’s will actualy fire doctors for treating patients too aggressively or expensively. How
do they do this...the HMO’s in this country have invested hundreds of millions of dollars on
extensive computers and programs to track doctors and patients individually. HMO’s know
exactly how much each patient is costing them. For those that have prescriptions paid by their
HMO, be careful. You may be getting less type drugs in treating your illness because they cost
less. Now here is the bothersome matter. Many doctors now are contracted with HMO’s for a
set per fee basis with deductions. If you have a major illness, they usually turn your case over to
a doctor that works directly for an HMO at the hospital. Be real careful here for this is where the
penny pinching really starts.
I’ve received emails of very sad stories of how patients in certain HMO’s died because they did
not receive the type of treatment they should have. And the big “C” is the most expensive of all.
If you are in a HMO, pray to God that you do not get this.
My advice, if you are in a HMO that will not provide to you their cost containment practices to
their physicians they contract with or for those doctors that work directly for them, get out of it.
Switch to a PPO provider where you can select your doctor and know what you can expect for
referrals and so forth. It will cost more, but it is like the old saying. “You get what you pay for.”
If you are paying only $8-$20 a month for your HMO insurance, truly, be realistic, can you really
expect the best of health care for this amount? Its' time for our elected officals in Washington to do something about this now! Federal laws needs to passed to prohibit this type of practice in the health care system. Tax incentives need to be given to physicians to be able to remain in private practice without the fear of becoming bankrupt because they follow their conscious in treating patients. It is up to you, the voter to do something about this. Start writing your elected officials. Tell them you want change... and NOW!
If you want to read more about this serious health crisis in America, then read this story.
If you are also concerned about your health, then make sure you read my column, My next column will be about the real health dangers of the so called "additives" that have been allowed to be put into the gasoline supply in this country. Why did Alaska ban such additives in 1993? Did they know something the rest of us didn't?
~ David Lawrence Dewey ~
Hydrogenated Oils-Silent Killers. You'll learn how these oils are causing you everything from premature heart disease, high cholesterol and triglycerides levels to diabetes type II.
~ God Bless ~
Nupharma Nutraceuticals makes some wonderful healthy products...
Please check out these products...
Just Click On An Image...
Nupharma Nutraceuticals makes some wonderful healthy products. If you are drinking bottled water or filtered water, most of the precious minerals and trace element minerals have been stripped away. This is why you need to take a good LIQUID mineral and trace element supplement like Beres Drops Plus. I say liquid, because if you take tablets, you are just throwing your money away. You lose nearly 55% in the digestion process taking tablets. Liquid form in anything you absorb nearly 95%. Did you know that the more acidic your body is increases the risk of cancer? Its' been shown in hundreds of research studies. some of your major cancer treatment centers know test for this. You can check your pH levels in your body with the (4) FREE Litmus test strips that comes with each Nupharma's AlkaPro bottle. You can use either your saliva or urine. It comes with a color chart to compare your results.
Also, make sure you check out Nupharma's new product, Oxegen AKG. It will help you feel, look, and live better. Your purchase of these products will keep Nupharma's advertising on my site, which in turn will keep the site up for you! Need to lose weight, try Nupharma's new OxeSlim DIET.
Tired, listless? Try Nupharma's
Propak. A complete nutritional supplement for your body's needs. Read how this revolutionary new product, which is the only one of its' kind, actually enters the mitrochondia of the immune cells to revitalize them.
Unlike other formulas that merely mask the symptoms of a cold or flu, the clinically proven ingredients in Cold & Flu Shoc act to boost your body's natural immune defense to help increase your resistance before a Cold or Flu can take hold.*
*The claims made about these products on or through this site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.
In the United States, medical diagnosis and treatment is constrained by law to be the exclusive purview of state licensed practitioners. The diseases discussed on this site are serious, sometimes life threatening matters. Neither the content nor the intent of this column may or should be construed as the giving of medical advice or as recommending any treatment of any kind. The purpose of this column is to support informed discussions, to provide medical research links and and to help the patient identify the doctors who keep up with advances in their field.
| © All Rights Reserved. Use of these articles is for personal use only. Any other use is strictly prohibited. Newspapers, syndicates or publications wishing to print his columns, email your request with details to Mr. Dewey's agent. Email Contacts for DL Dewey. For any other use, DLDEWEY for permission to use column or columns, detailing your request to use which column or columns and for what purpose. |
| HOME | Previous Columns | Email Contacts | Advertising |
|
©1997 - 2005 DL DEWEY Updated January 1st, 2005 Email Contacts |