Reid: Humana dropping counties from program because it's not making enough

Humana said Wednesday government reimbursement inadequacies have forced it to withdraw the plan from 31 of the 89 counties where it offers the plan, including Clark and Nye counties in Nevada.

The decision will affect 9,416 in Clark County and 715 in Nye County.

"I think they're dropping out because they're not making enough money," Reid, D-Nev., said Wednesday.

"Humana has the right to do this but that doesn't make it any easier for the people that are doing to be dropped from their program."

According to the company, Gold Plus members in those areas affected can return to traditional fee-for-service Medicare and purchase a Medigap product or seek another Medicare HMO if one is offered in the area in which they live.

Reid said Humana's actions reinforce the need to pass a "patients' bill of rights." Senate Democrats want to give patients the right to sue their HMO if they are harmed by its decisions on treatment.

Democrats also want to explicitly give doctors, rather than insurance companies, the right to decide what care is medically necessary.

Republicans also have proposed legislation to help patients deal with HMOs, but the measure differs considerably in scope and detail from the one proposed by Democrats.

The Senate has agreed to take up the legislation when lawmakers return from the July 4th holiday.

Reid said Wednesday's decision also means lawmakers should support President Clinton's call for prescription drug coverage under Medicare.

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