This HMO CEO entry is a case in point.

Re. “… Individual choice, financial responsibility for one’s own choices, information to make better choices — these are all sound principles that we now know have support among consumers. Everyone involved in health care and health care policy should listen.

Eric H. Schultz is the President and CEO of Fallon Community Health Plan. [a MA HMO]”
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There’s an urgent need to clarify the endless self-serving spin that Mr Schultz–and Kingsdale, Dreyfus, Moore, DiMasi, et al–sling our way. For honesty’s sake it should be pointed out that the most valued choice that people want (and please note that the discussion should be about “people”, not “consumers”) is the choice of physician, hospital, and outpatient health care facility, NOT the false “choice” of an expensive and poor value commercial insurance product!

Commercial profit-driven insurance products (and all the bureaucracy that exists around them) are the root cause of so much waste in our current health care system. Make no mistake, the current MA Chapter 58 law is not about reform of the system. But it is very much about selling more insurance products.

Health care should be focused on people’s health needs, not on bogus market-driven product “choices”.

For commonhealth readers who are interested in real reform solutions such as improved Medicare-for-All, please look over the website for the coalition Mass-Care that MA Health Care For All (led by Mr John McDonough) and 100 other state organizations are members of, at http://www.MassCare.org