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November 16, 2009

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Letter: Legal action vs. HMOs is needed

Friday, June 29, 2001 | 10:31 a.m.

While the House and Senate, and Republicans and Democrats (mostly lawyers), argue fruitlessly and endlessly over patients' rights, the core problem is lawyers' fees.

For lawyers to typically charge from 25 percent to 40 percent of any personal injury or medical award from the court to the plaintiff is obscene and usurious. That's the real problem -- the lawyers' awards should be limited to 5 percent to 10 percent.

To allow the employer to be sued to the extent of bankrupting him will cause him to eliminate health insurance as a condition of employment. On the other hand, legal action against HMOs (currently not permissible), is urgently needed. Just ask any HMO subscriber.

The current internal adjudication by HMO officials and their lackeys is a sham favoring the HMO.

I know personally because I spent an hour before one of these kangaroo courts defending the emergency treatment of one of my children.

GEORGE P. DIX

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