Medicare Managed Care: Using Consumer Law to Enforce Patients' Rights

摘要

Health care is one of the most important consumer products we buy in our211u001elifetimes. The health care choices we make are especially critical as we get 211u001eolder and need more medical attention. Yet many seniors are unaware of their 211u001erights in the complex health care marketplace. Consumer law provides critical 211u001etools for advocates assisting clients with health care problems. These remedies 211u001eare important for seniors enrolled in managed care plans. Managed care is 211u001edifferent from traditional health insurance where consumers generally use their 211u001eown doctors and then receive reimbursement from insurance companies. Health 211u001eMaintenance Organization (HMO), by contrast, not only pay for services but also 211u001econtrol what services the patient will receive and who will provide them. In 211u001egeneral, all managed care plans restrict services in some way at a minimum by 211u001elimiting consumers' choice of providers.