Making a Killing: HMOs and the Threat to Your Health

by Francis Smith and Jamie Court

Book Overview

Do HMOs provide good health care while keeping costs down? Or is their dominance a major threat to American health, safety, and pocketbooks? This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567511686
• ISBN13: 9781567511680
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Common Courage Press
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Wakeup Call

Have you had problems with medical providers and the organizations that control your access to health care? This book tells how the system works, and unveils the politically correct industry phrases, explaining what they really mean. The book is full of well documented cases that will make your hair stand on end. The authors do not skirt the issues -- they confront them head on, with practical suggestions on how to survive the health care "industry." There are excellent resources listed for those who want to further research these issues. This book moved me to tears, and I only wish that the book were fiction instead of fact, but the truth is that there are atrocities being committed every day. My heartfelt thanks to all of the victims, or in some cases, their survivors, for sharing their experiences with the reader. Don't believe it couldn't happen to you, and if you're not actually in an HMO, you will still benefit from this book.

BEWARE..are you next to become a victim of an HMO...

My mother was the victim of a denial for a procedure. The doctor's name and the HMO who denied the procedure are in the book. The denial was ultimately overturned in the "review process." However, it was too late for her. She suffered needlessly for months, and died. A classic example of something described in the book. This book was a gift. I started casually reading the first several pages not knowing what to expect. As I read, I am more outraged and sickened about HMOs, than I have been for the past year. I have had to set the book aside on several occasions until I could calm down enough to read more.I have worked in the medical field for almost thirty years. I am now quite convinced I should change professions and I have not yet finished the book. Better yet, counterattack from within!I highly recommend reading this book. I truly sympathize with the individuals who have been victimized and survived, and can certainly relate to the victims' families.

A great primer for anyone dealing with greedy HMO's

I was stunned to learn of the lengths that HMO's will go to make an extra buck at the expence of patient care. Court and Smith clearly have done their homework on HMO abuses, but have also given the reader tools to fight back. When will our elected leaders heed their warnings and enact laws that protect patients against the abuses laid out in this book? I know I'm prepared to stand up and fight!

A must read!

This book is a page turner from start to finish! A must read for anyone accessing the American health care system. By explaining the logistical and legal complexities of HMOs through the real-life experiences of patients and health care professionals, the authors have done what I have not seen to date -- they have presented a reasoned and well-documented explanation of the current state of health care in the United States, how we got here, and what must be done to repair the system.

Potentially life-saving info for any managed care member!!!

"Making a Killing" finally pulls back the curtain on the life-threatening scam that is the managed care industry. This is a must-read for any managed-care member or anyone who cares about a managed care plan member. The book uses compelling stories of victims of HMO and managed care abuse to show what we can all really expect from these organizations when we are truly ill. The book puts the entire current healthcare system into context. It explains that managed care is really about draining dollars from the healthcare system to fatten corporate coffers on Wall Street, and patients be damned! It explains what most consumers don't understand about how their healthcare premiums are used. It provides explanations of the role of monied special interests in healthcare, discusses the government's failure to protect the public, and the insurance industry's intense effort to usurp the Constitutional rights of their members. Most importantly, it also provides a call to action for change for all of us who are fed up with the current industry's offerings of third world medicine at premium prices. The forward by Ralph Nader should be endorsement enough for anyone interested in consumer issues. The book is extremely well annotated and believeable. The information it contains could very well save your life or the life of someone you love. In short, a very compelling read!