indigent patients

Earlier this week, a 49-year-old woman from Illinois died of a heart attack after waiting two hours in Vista Medical Center's emergency room. Her tragic death points to serious problems in the nation's emergency departments, and some doctors are saying that it was only a matter of time until overcrowding in the ER resulted in a patient's death. "There is a crisis that has been here so …

In California, one doctor has cut out the insurance companies entirely out of his practice. His patients pay $420 a year, plus a $20 copay for each visit, to belong to his practice. He says it allows him to spend more time with patients. In addition, indigent patients are better able to afford his services. Article

A dozen Georgia physicians have filed a suit against three private HMOs--Peach State Health Plan, AMGP Georgia Managed Care Company and Wellcare of Georgia--claiming that the plans owe millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements to doctors, hospitals and other providers. The providers allege that the HMOs knew before they bid on a $3 billion state contract that they'd be unable to …