Healthcare

New Bill Asks More Clout For Doctors

March 1, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Sacrmento Bee</p> <p>A bill that would exempt California doctors in private practice from antitrust laws and let them link together to negotiate better fees from health insurers is shaping up as a feisty legislative battle.</p>

Bill Gives Doctors Leverage

February 29, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">San Francisco Chronicle</p> <p>California doctors would be able to escape antitrust laws and band together to negotiate fees and contract provisions with health maintenance organizations under legislation introduced Friday by state Sen. Jackie Speier.</p>

The Law on Lawsuits Can Be Confusing

February 27, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel</p> <p>Nancy Dunkle is a six-year survivor of ovarian cancer but an insurance company has decided not to pay for treatment that might help her live longer. Robert Dewey was ready for a liver transplant that might save his life but his HMO and his hospital co</p>

In Need Of A Cure

February 27, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>Health Care System Is Ailing</h3><p class="source">Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel</p> <p>When Beth Guendjoian got the news she had breast cancer, her gynecologist told her she needed to find a surgeon. Using her HMO booklet, she contacted all the surgeons listed in Palm Beach County. Not one still had a contract with her HMO. Guendjoian,</p>

Expectations High For Insurers

February 27, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">St. Petersburg Times</p> <p>Florida has one of the longest lists in the nation of health benefits that must be covered. Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan knows firsthand the difficulties of getting insurance companies to cover certain cancer treatments.</p>

Business Insider– Aetna CEO Gets Critic In His Corner

February 27, 2000  ·  Jamie Court

<p class="source">Sacramento Bee</p> <p>Consumer activist Jamie Court's view of managed care companies isn't ambiguous. He is, after all, the author of "Making a Killing: HMOs and the Threat to Your Health." So it might come as a surprise that Court's Santa Monica-based group, The Foundatio</p>

Doctors Hope CEO’s Departure Brings More Cooperative Era

February 26, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Hartford Courant</p> <p>Former Aetna CEO Richard Huber once joked that when he met doctors at social events he would tell them he worked in the post office. But the tension that marked Huber's tenure was no laughing matter for many doctors - and some said Friday they hoped his</p>

Supreme Court Hears HMO Case

February 24, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Gannett News Service</p> <p>WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court justices listened skeptically Wednesday as attorneys for a woman who won a malpractice claim against her doctor argued that the bonuses given by the woman's HMO to its doctors harmed the care that its patients received.</p>

Justices Seem Skeptical Over Letting Patients Sue H.M.O.’s That Offer Bonuses to Cut Costs

February 24, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">New York Times</p> <p>The Supreme Court raised a blizzard of questions today about a patient's challenge to the fundamental principle of managed health care that rewards doctors who hold down costs.</p>

As Aetna’s Woes Pile Up, Its Chairman Is Under Fire

February 16, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Wall Street Journal</p> <p>Aetna Inc. Chairman Richard L. Huber is facing mounting pressure from shareholders fed up with the health insurer's sickly stock price -- and his own brash management style.</p>

The Private HMO Justice System for Injured California Patients
Is It Fair?

February 15, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<!-- excerpt --><p>Many HMOs require patients to sign binding arbitration agreements as a condition of enrolling. Learn what you can do to end arbitration abuse at HMOs.</p>

Bill Seeks Ban On Trial Waiver

January 27, 2000  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Oakland Tribune</p> <p>OAKLAND -- Health maintenance organizations would be prevented from requiring incoming patients to sign away their rights to a jury trial if a new state bill introduced this month becomes law. The measure by Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, would stop the r</p>