HMO is the acronym for Health Maintenance Organizations. In
a just few short years HMO's, Health Maintenance Organization's, have virtually taken over
the health care industry [KEY WORD: Industry] in the United States. HMO's are doctor and
hospital factories except they supposedly substitute getting humans well [treating
illnesses] for manufacturing a product of some kind.
To date that doesn't seem to be the case however. HMO's seem to be run primarily for
profit not saving lives.
Kaiser Permanente was the first Health Maintenance
Organization. Kaiser Permanente was founded by industrialists Henry J Kaiser during W.W.II
for the employees of his ship building company. Kaiser built most of the "Liberty
Ships" for the war effort. Kaiser smartly reasoned that he required healthy and well
paid workers to build those badly needed ships in larger numbers. And build them Kaiser
did, sooner and quicker than anyone thought they could be built, even with the manpower
shortage created by the war.
HMO's should be a major concern of the masses living in the
United States because they, the HMO's, now dominate America's Health Care industry. HMO's
are now responsible for the quality of medical care most of the citizens in this country
get.
A pretty scary thought; is that
HMO's spend more on accountants and perks to their executives than in protecting America's
future, the health of its citizens.
Because of Health Maintenance Organization's, today many US
citizens are now denied medical care when they need it because their HMO says they don't
or won't cover that malady. This has happened to AIDs patients, also to cancer, organ
transplant and heart patients. A good number of these people were terminally ill and died
because of their HMO's denial of coverage.
This is truly cruel and unusual treatment and was one of those terrible acts we the people
were supposedly protected from by the US Constitution.
Let's all let are elected officials know that we the people
demand national healthcare.
The one hope HMO's have for the future, is
that through their penny pinching ways they force the current medical establishment to
move into prevention of DISEASE; instead of using drugs to mask the symptoms and push the
illness deeper into the body.
You are your own ultimate doctor. Take charge of your care
and demand your HMO give you satisfactory treatment. Also ask yourself do I like being
sick?
