Health Maintenance Organizations' Latest Scam

Excerpted from The Washington Post

Dozens of HMOs Quit Medicare, Patients Face Upheaval

By David S. Hilzenrath and Amy Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, October 4, 1998; Page A01

Tens of thousands of patients in the Washington area, mostly senior citizens, must scramble to replace their health benefits over the next three months amid an exodus of managed care companies from Medicare.
Citing poor financial prospects for their Medicare business, Aetna U.S. Healthcare, NYLCare, Prudential and Mid Atlantic Medical Services Inc. have announced that they will stop serving an estimated 43,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the District, Maryland and Virginia on Jan. 1. United HealthCare said last week that it will withdraw from southern and western Maryland and the Eastern Shore, where it has 3,160 Medicare patients.

There was more to the article, but it was too ludicrous to reprint here.

Commentary from HT (in case you haven't figured this out for yourself)

HMO's aren't making enough profit already?

Or are they just trying to hold-up the Government for higher Medicare premiums? Check out the medicare deductions from your payroll check to see who is going broke on medical insurance.

Do you really think "health management organization" is an appropriate name for a medical insurance plan? After all, all medical insurance programs are designed ONLY TO GUARRANTEE THAT THE DOCTORS, LABS, HOSPITALS, et al are PAID. They do not really insure anything to the patient except high premiums for dubvious services.