Research Paper on:
Regulation of HMOs

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
2000). According to medical examiners, Joseph should not have died; he had been getting kidney dialysis treatments for four years and this was his only health problem (Sullivan, 2000). Joseph  played golf, drove himself wherever he needed to go and otherwise enjoyed a healthy pleasant life (Sullivan, 2000). Josephs HMO, Medica, had plenty of time to find the infection after  his fall but the doctors did not find it (Sullivan, 2000). At the hospital, they detected his fractured rib and then told him to go see his regular doctor on  Monday (it was then Friday); on Monday, his regular doctor was not available and he saw a substitute who listened to his lungs and dismissed him even though he  complained of weakness in his legs and severe chest pain (Sullivan, 2000). The substitute doctor told him to see his regular doctor later in the week when he would be  back (Sullivan, 2000). On Thursday, Joseph finally got to see his own primary care physician but by that time, Joseph was extremely weak and in a wheelchair (Sullivan, 2000). His  symptoms indicated there was a serious infection - he was vomiting, hoarse, suffering from severe diarrhea and had a very high temperature (Sullivan, 2000). His regular doctor did not send  him to the hospital, he sent Joseph to a nursing home with instructions to call or return to the doctors office if he did not improve (Sullivan, 2000). Joseph and  his family were then told he had the flu (Sullivan, 2000). Joseph died. This is just one example of the abuse committed by HMOs. A survey of physicians in 1999  found that "HMOs and other managed care plans have ... decreased ... quality of health care for people who are sick" (Sullivan, 2000, p. 19). Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) seemed