HMO's From the Other Side

[BUMPED]

A lot has been said about HMO's over the years . . . much of it negative. Comic's have made jokes about HMO's. The general press has not looked on them favorably for their "hands on" manipulation of health care treatment.

My own experience, at least with Kaiser Permanente, has been positive. Now from someone who has posted comments on this site in the past comes this observation.

I may not agree with Marc's view on risk management as it applies to health insurance, but I do applaud his bravery in dealing with personal health challenges.

Here is a small portion of his story.

At this point I have to add a plug for all the doctors, nurses and staff at Kaiser Permanente. They have been exceptional. I experienced the same treatment, when I was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma 4 years ago, but now I realize it wasn't just my bubbly personality which resulted in that great care.

Within the past two weeks, since my wife's MRI revealed an anomaly in her T2 vertebrae, she has had lots of blood work, a CT scan, bone scan, appointment with an oncologist and a biopsy of her T2 vertebrae. Today she has a bone marrow biopsy scheduled, to check for any spread of the disease, and tomorrow she has an appointment with the radiation oncologist.

I can't imagine that anyone could possibly receive better service from any other health care provider. Thank you Kaiser Permanente!