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Mark Lyte in "What do other's pay?", mentions wanting to enroll his father with an HMO. I would just like to make a comment: I have many friends who are doctors in here in Canada and in the US. This weekend I had a indepth discussion of HMO's with them. From what I hear, I would stay far away from HMO's. As I have been told, they are able to offer good savings and incentives for the patient (One not being the limitation of choice of doctor), by skimping on the doctor's end, which in turn could causes poor care by the physician. The physician is paid a set fee per year by the HMO per patient. This amount averaging $75 per year. Therefore, no matter how long the visit or how many visits, the physician only earns $75. Therefore, doctors could tend to discourage revisits and be brief during visit (possibly unthorough), therefore they can see more patients. My friend has encountered physicians who have taken up this practice. I do not wish to scare anyone, just to pass on information I know. There is a case where my friend is a resident, where a patient died because they were not approved by their HMO to go to the emergency room. According to the HMO, they will only pay for emergency room visits if it is preapproved by the HMO. That means, calling ahead. You, of course, could still go to the emerg but the HMO will not pay for it. Well, because the patient was not approved, she did not go to the emerg. Later, when chest pains persisted (was instructed to take maalox), the husband finally took her on his own, but it was too late. The HMO is not responsible (written in the contract) for such instances (failure of treatment...), therefore, the doctors are the only ones left to "blame" (the patient arrived alive....) Of course these are views from a physician's perspective, and everyone is entitled to their opinions. Deanna