Letter: HMO editorial leaves much to be desired

You implied that -- unlike every other industry -- managed care should not be profitable. That is patently ridiculous. No business -- including the Las Vegas Sun -- can survive if it does not make a profit. The question is not profitability but performance.

Does managed care deliver quality care at an affordable cost? The answer is a resounding "yes." Customer surveys consistently show that the vast majority of HMO members are highly satisfied with their care.

Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley's assertion that she's received hundreds of calls needs to be put into perspective. There are over 400,000 Nevadans covered by HMO plans.

Also, it was implied that all of the callers were HMO customers, but HMOs currently cover less than one-third of the Nevadans who have group health insurance. Most of Buckley's callers were probably covered by the state's insurance system or by their employers' own insurance plans and their problems had little or nothing to do with an HMO.

The serious issue in Nevada is the number of people who have no health insurance at all and the number of small employers who cannot afford to offer it to their employees. Close to 270,000 people in Nevada had no health insurance in 1997 according to a recent UNLV study.

And for many, the reason was cost. Whatever steps we take, both government and industry, it's critical for working families, seniors, and small and large employers alike that we preserve and expand access to affordable and quality health care, assuring patients that when they get sick, they will get the care they need.

Keith Beagle, Chairman of the Nevada Association of Health Plans

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