Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) & Regulation. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
An 8 page paper. Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) seemed like a good idea in the 1980s as health costs were soaring out of range. Their purpose was to control costs while increasing the quality of health care for Americans. But, like many ideas that sound good at the time, this one failed to meet its purposes. Consumer costs continued to soar and quality health care became an oxymoron. This paper discusses how HMOs control and derail the legislative process intended to protect consumers. The writer provides examples of laws and regulations a few states have adopted and the tactics used by the HMO industry to deter legislation intended to regulate it. Bibliography lists 9 sources.
Page Count:
8 pages (~225 words per page)
File: MM12_PGhmoreg.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term 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
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