HMO News for Californians

It’s taken EIGHT years!   CA is finally revealing its new regulations specifying just how long your HMO doctor can make you wait for an appointment.  And it will be another 12 months before the provisions are implemented.    CA had to actually legislate how quickly HMO doctors must see their patients, return phone calls and take care of you in an emergency.   This reminds me of what happened in the UK 4 years ago, when it was legislated that wait times to see a primary care physician could be no longer than 13 weeks!!   No joke.   If you’re in CA and enrolled in an HMO, this is good news for you.  But I still think HMOs should be outlawed.