Some HMOs see enrollment uptick Nov 2, 2009
HMOs are managed health insurance plans that are based on a primary-care physician gatekeeper system in which providers contract with insurers to serve patients for a set price. Baumgarten says a growing number of employer groups have left HMOs over the years and have sought out more flexible options, such as preferred provider organization (PPO) health plans which, unlike HMOs, allow patients to seek coverage outside the defined provider network if they are willing to incur higher co-payments... (San Antonio Business Journal, TX)
Anchorage's first school health clinic approved Oct 21, 2009
Clark's clinic services will be in addition to the school nurse, who will eventually act as gatekeeper and will send some students to the clinic, district officials said. Clark's clinic will expand only as much as the families want it to, Comeau said. (Anchorage Daily News)
Texas Begins Quest To Cure Cancer Oct 3, 2009
Texas is ready to try by investing $3 billion over the next decade in cancer research and prevention, which would make the state the gatekeeper of the second largest pot of cancer research dollars in the country, behind only the National Cancer Institute. "I don't know anyone that would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with what they're trying to do," said Robert Urban, executive director of the Koch Institute for Innovative Cancer Research at MIT.. (Click2Houston, TX)
Public Plan Pits Democrat Vs. Democrat Sep 30, 2009
Having no gatekeepers means there's no check on how often the Japanese use health care, and patients may lack a medical home ... In general, the Swiss do not have gatekeeper doctors, although some insurance plans require them or give a discount to consumers who use them. (CBS News)
Valdez: The case for reform Sep 13, 2009
Bayless said that both of her parents are on Medicare and that they enjoy being able "to go to any doctor at any time." But her experience in the health-care delivery system taught the importance of a "primary-care gatekeeper," who can minimize the use of expensive specialists. "I would like to see an emphasis on getting every person into a medical home with a primary-care physician," she said. (AZCentral -- News)
Hundreds reclaim records Sep 10, 2009
She sat in front of the clinic entrance, acting as gatekeeper with an inventory list of all the records her office brought from their Belmont storage site. Schoenmann waved in Pattie Brixen, a pain-ridden woman in her 60s, who had a smile on her face despite the long wait. (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Roster Spot Competition Sep 1, 2009
I certainly hope you guys aren t the gatekeepers when I get to the top ... I thought the same thing about the gatekeeper comment ... Not trying to be a gatekeeper just my opinion. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Clear the fog of health care Aug 28, 2009
On the other hand, those on insurance, are severely limited in the doctors and hospitals they can use, have to get pre-permission for a large range of medical care options, have to go through gatekeeper general practitioners before seeing any specialist and approximately 50 percent of the time get their claims denied. This rarely happens in government-run Medicare. (Boerne Star, TX)
Second health-care 'phone town hall' goes well Aug 26, 2009
The government chose and certified certain insurance companies to manage the program - it is called "managed care' and urged those on Medicare to switch!! Two plans heavily used by local residents are Blue Cross Blue and HealthNet Seniority Plus. HealthNet is the plan of choice for retirees of Lockheed and Stanford, and the PA Clinic has its own version. Some versions are also HMO's. Kaiser has one.. It's efficient, virtually paperwork free, and the government PUSHED enrollment. Now it says its... (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Click to read:Health Care Reform Puts Seniors on Edge Aug 22, 2009
" So who is running it now? by jschmidt27 August 21, 2009 11:17 PM EDT And if anyone bothered to do their homework they would know that single payer system which a public plan will eventually lead to and if you listened to video clips both Frank and Obama want, you'd know the single payer systems around the world suffer from low doctor pay and hospitals losing money. They have doctors putting vending machines in their office to make money.... (CBS News)
Primary care loses its prestige Aug 18, 2009
The primary-care doctor a category that includes family physicians, general internists and general pediatricians has been held up as the gatekeeper in keeping people out of emergency rooms and controlling health care costs. But medical analysts say giving this limited pool of doctors responsibility for millions more patients is problematic. (USA Today)
LETTER: Less 'coverage,' more real insurance needed Aug 13, 2009
If I know what I want, let me buy it without an expensive office visit to convince a gatekeeper. Repeal the mandates about what insurance must include. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Letter: If Taiwan can enact successful reforms, surely U.S. can, too (Aug. 12) Aug 12, 2009
To satisfy the patients in Taiwan, there s no gatekeeper who controls access to specialists and no waiting lines. The people decide for themselves what doctors they need to see, with no recommendation from a general practitioner required. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
Click to read:Wounded Marine Fights VA For Care Aug 4, 2009
Your primary care doctor is the gatekeeper and he has a budget to work with, he has to workout who gets what. After two years of being put off trying something new. (CBS News)
Why Isn't Single-Payer "Uniquely American"? Aug 1, 2009
Granted, the government may deny choice in tests and treatments, but Brett judges that reality as no more restrictive than with market-based medicine; the only difference is whether the gatekeeper is public or private. By definition, a single-payer system would deny consumers (or, more typically, their employers) the opportunity to choose a health insurer. (Slate)
Panel faults record refusal Aug 1, 2009
City Clerk John Marsolais, who was the gatekeeper of the records released to the council, said his recollection was that only three council leaders reviewed the documents: Richard Conti, Carolyn McLaughlin and Shawn Morris. 1. (Albany Times Union)
Middle-class suicide Jul 29, 2009
That's the main function of American health insurance - it's a gatekeeper, an ever-vigilant, conscientious Cerberus ever separating those who have it from the howling masses of lower middle-class pain that lack it. When American tourists visit the Italian town of Pisa, home of the famed leaning tower, they feel smug and self-satisfied, confident that their proud engineers and architects could never construct such a poorly made and dangerous building that could seemingly collapse at a moment's... (Asia Times Online)
Current system is bad for our health Jul 19, 2009
Most of us -- the lucky ones who actually have it -- are stuck with an insurance company gatekeeper who decides whether or not we really need a procedure, or really need a medication. So given that, I'd much rather rely on one of those horrible government bureaucrats instead of someone whose decisions are made solely based on profit to the insurance company. (Longview Daily News, WA)
Build citys future on more retirees, tourism Jul 4, 2009
A gatekeeper on Portland Street would cost little and solve a lot of the problem. Discount property taxes for retirees. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Your say Are financial planners competent? Jul 2, 2009
No ill informed and biased gatekeeper, so my returns went through the roof and I was able to switch to cash just before the crash. I don't intend to stay there but will wait a few more months at least. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation May 15, 2009
And does anyone think this plan won't produce a government gatekeeper that will allocate health services and control prices and therefore crowd-out the private-insurance doctor-hospital system. Federal boards are going to decide what's good for you and me. (Human Events Online)
As I see it: A medical reform? This would make things worse May 3, 2009
The HMO gatekeeper system (a similar concept) has been tried and failed over the last 20 years, and hence has largely been eliminated by the insurance industry. The Medical Home system is also problematic because there are not enough primary care providers in the U.S. to sustain it. (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
