Every year a few more good doctors pack up and leave the SF Bay Area. The cost of running a medical practice are staggering. Congress has exempted HMO's from anti-trust laws and they flex their new power effectively.
There is a new law in California that requires a physician to accept HMO payment rates when he treats a patient even if he has chosen NOT to sign a contract with the HMO because of their low rates. Sound incredible? Sound Illegal? Well, help is on the way!
The AMA, which is supposed to be a physician advocacy group has taken no position on the HMO anti-trust exemption or the new forced labor law. Instead, they are spending their members money pressuring Congress to ban
trans fatty acids from restaurant menus! Unbelievable.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081111/hl_nm/us_doctors_fats