Health Maintenance Organizations Essays Examples

Health benefit organizations sell health benefit plans to their clients. These plans are offered to their clients through doctors and hospitals appointed by the Health Maintenance Organization. Members of an HMO must live or work within a specified geographical region in order for them to receive or buy plans being offered by a HMO’s (Monheit & Cantor, 2012). Unless the situation was an emergency or a referral was authorized by a network doctor the organization will not cater for the costs.
The Health Management organizations have advantages and disadvantages associated with them. They present less expensive premiums inconsideration of other plans offered by other major stakeholders such as private insurance companies (Proctor & Mills, 2010). Generally, employees pay a fixed amount for each of their employee and the cost is deducted from the payroll. The employer may use this as a term of employment and offer it as health coverage to his employees. Co- pays required to be done by the patients are low and this promotes better health to the patients (Proctor & Mills, 2010). In addition, HMO promotes better living standards to their members such enrolling them to gym to minimize their costs.
Explaining health management programs to patients sometimes can be challenging. For example, a number of patients may see this as a way of fleecing them their hard earned money into pyramid schemes. As such, explaining to them the importance of the programs such as minimized costs in case of health complications or emergencies may work to gain their trust (Quadagno, 2005). Involving members who have benefited from the program also may go a long way in convincing them to sign up for such programs.
In conclusion, signing up to this health management programs is important due to the benefits accrued from membership. On the other hand, they help in the improvement of health care in a very cheap way.

References

Monheit, A. C., & Cantor, J. C. (2012). State health insurance market reform: Toward inclusive and sustainable health insurance markets. London: Routledge.
Proctor, B. D., & Mills, R. J. (2010). Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010.
Quadagno, J. S. (2005). One nation, uninsured: Why the U.S. has no national health insurance. New York: Oxford University Press.