Health maintenance organizations, which care for more than 60 million
people, are telling courts across the country that they cannot be held
responsible for medical malpractice in cases involving patients who
receive care through employer-sponsored health plans. The
H.M.O.'s argue that they are protected against malpractice claims and
lawsuits by a 1974 Federal law that regulates employee benefits.
"Medical care may be hazardous to your health." That frightening warning is the principal conclusion of numerous studies. Independent scientific research has sketched out...
