Barb M, You should have come to Miami, Florida, we have the HMOSG* Pallidotomy Drive Through SPECIAL! HMO=Horrible Medical Organization, SG= Street Gang. You fly into MIami International Airport, and get a special deal on a car rental with a sun roof, you drive slowly towards the hospital, as a street gang shoots two bullets into your skull, you park on the ramp outside the hospital, while a team of highly skilled computer operators fill out your paper work in triplicate. They then shred half the copies, file one copy under someone else's name, and hand you an old magazine to read. The fourth copy is send to a doctor somewhere, who does not know you, and also does not like you, because he is trying to play a round of gold when he is asked to read the forms. Meanwhile an Xray tech Xrays your feet and one knee. A highly skilled Cuban Neurosurgeon, is then driven over from the Dade County Stockade Work Release Program, is lowered over the sunroof of your car, and, using a highly refined version of a locksmith's pick, performs the Pallidotomy. Of course you are tightly seatbelted before he proceeds. If you have been an HMO member for over 3 years, they also supply a sponge with the name of a local Savings and Loan Association stamped on the back, to control any bleeding, to keep the seats of the rental car from being soiled. After 15 minutes, a team of profesional horn honkers urge you to clear the parking ramp. You then return the car to the rental agency, fly home, and consult your attorney while you are still conscious. OF COURSE this is a silly exaggeration! NO HMO would do all this without a notorized permission slip from your Primary Care Physician!!! Ken B (HMO-Phobia Specialist)