Kudos to Joan Beck for her May 14 Op-Ed column on senior citizens and the managed-care “solution.” As usual, Ms. Beck is right on target with her comments on health-care issues.
When you combine a couple of facts, the low-cost HMO options are not so attractive. First, the senior citizen population is one of the more vulnerable segments of our society. Secondly, the main principle behind managed care is to reduce costs. Throw in a few of the comments made by managed-care company executives insinuating that profits are more important than good and appropriate care, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why seniors could be making a huge mistake by jumping on the managed-care bandwagon as a Medicare substitute.
Ms. Beck’s advice on resolving Medicare problems is absolutely right. Clearly, empowering seniors as consumers holds the answer to most of our health-care problems.
