I wholeheartedly agree with your call for an investigation into HMSA and its business practices (“Probe HMSA Comp, its nonprofit status,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, May 4).
From my perspective as a primary care physician, HMSA played a significant role in my decision to retire early. It claimed to reimburse “per member, per month,” but the constant barrage of ever-changing metrics to prove “quality care” detracted from actual quality time with patients. While paying a lump sum to physicians, it often declined reimbursement for services to patients.
It did not cover most routine physicals and frequently threatened to stop covering telehealth visits after the peak of the pandemic. If it holds physicians responsible for taking care of patients, why then try to micromanage how that care is provided?
As a patient, I spent over a year trying to get reimbursement for a family member’s evaluation. After multiple phone calls and resubmission of information, I received about 20% of the amount paid out-of-pocket — a drop in the bucket compared to the compensation executives and board members received. There are many things wrong with America’s health-care system, and profit over people is a root cause.
Ann Greaney, M.D.
Kailua
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