A Health Maintence Organization consists of health care professionals and facilities that provides specified health care for a fixed sum of money paid in advance for a specified period of time. The HMO contracts with health care professionals and facilities to provide the specified care. A patient cannot seek care outside of the health care providers and or hospitals under contract with HMO.

HMO'S have what is called "gatekeepers", which is a primary care physician (your personal physician). Your physician, the "gatekeeper" determines wheather you need a specialist or not. The patient is not guaranteed his/her right of freedom to see a specialist unless the "gatekeeper" approves or requests you should be seen by a specialist.

An emotional debate over the issue of quality of care delivered by HMO's has reached deafening proportions recently. National and state governments have responded with legislation intended to curb alleged abuses by HMO's. Now comes the most important part of my argument which is quality care and the "real reason" behind HMO's.

There's financial conflict of interest between patient and the providers of medical services when medical providers are paid a fixed fee monthly to provide medical services to the patient. Those who are providing the care are paid the same amount whether they provide services to one patient or a hundred patients. Withholding necessary medical services allows the physician to keep in his possession the money entrusted to him to provide quality medical services.

It has become disturbing at the indifference this country has toward our elderly generation. Many are scrambling to find the best insurance plan for themselves. This should not be so in today's society. Why should our elderly population have to worry about health insurance, HMO's and the fraudulent activities that are taking place today? To deny anyone quality care in order to keep monies set aside for health care is fraud, pure and simple. I have to ask myself, why is this over looked, when leaders in our capital are up in arms about gun control. Many, many people die from medical neglect created by HMO's and money hungry physicians. When a patient dies because his/her physician or HMO will not allow a referral to a specialist this is not only murder it is voluntary murder for personal gain!

There have been numerous deaths because HMO's would not allow a patient to be referred to a specialist. This is absolutely criminal. The bottom line is greed.

I have become very passionate about the fate of our elderly. Many times an HMO will not allow for home care therefore the patient is sent to a nursing home. More often than not, when an elderly individual is placed in a nursing home, if he/she ownes a home their home is signed over to the nursing home. All money he/she may have goes directly to the nursing home, unless other arrangements have been made previously. The patient is left with nothing but what belongings they may take with them to their "final destination". This "final destination" is not a haven of rest, it's a haven of hell where there is gross neglect, abuse, starvation, medical abuse, deprevation of privacy and the list goes on.

"Do HMOs deliberately neglect or even kill off their unprofitable patients?" Is this legalized murder? HMO's make medical decisions which can hurry the dying process. I would like to insert here, the Geneva Convention Code of Medical Ethics;Taken fromWorld Medical Association, Adopted by the World Medical Association in 1949 post World War 11, 1949. It is as follows:

I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity; I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due; I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity; The health of my patient will be my first consideration; I will respect the secrets which are confided in me; I will maintain by all means in my power, the honour, and the noble traditions of the medical profession; My colleagues will be my brothers; I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics, or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient. I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception; even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity. I make these promises solemnly, freely, and upon my honour.

This is not to mention "The Hippocratic Oath" and what physicians are sworn to uphold; such as "I will keep them from harm and injustice".

To sum this up, I have to ask, what is this "great country" called the USA doing to our elderly and our health care system. We have a country filled with greed, and indifference; turning its head while our health care system, the morals of our insurance providers and health care providers go down the tubes and patients going to their graves.