Waging war against an insurance company won't be easy when you're weak and worried about a serious illness. Try to avoid a problem by doing some research before you sign up if you have a choice of health plans. Ask your doctor what he thinks of the plan you're considering. Or go to one of the Web sites run by state agencies or business groups that ranks HMOs on such things as number of complaints and ease of getting care. In New York, the New York State Health Accountability Foundation rates plans.
Similar sites exist in California , Texas and other states.
Complain, complain, complain. After all, she worked in his office as his nurse. So, in late 1997, when he told her a CAT scan showed no recurrence of the cancer she'd battled for two years, she believed him. And she wasn't surprised when he insisted that a referral to a cancer specialist for the knot on her jaw wasn't necessary. Her health maintenance organization paid him thousands in bonuses for holding the line on such costs.