<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

In view of all the HMO bashing here and in the national press, I feel
obligated to defend mine which is one of the largest in NH.

Like many of you, I can trace my symptoms to 5 years before my official
biopsy.  Having a problem with gluten-containing products had never
occurred to me as a cause for my non-specific medical concerns.  I
would go to my internist complaining that I just didn't "feel right".
He always tried another layer of tests. By the end of the 5 years, its
a wonder I didn't glow in the dark with all the x-rays I received.  I
blamed my anemia on all the blood tests that were done.

As a woman starting menopause, it was never suggested that my problems
might be dismissed as hormonal.  We were both shocked when the final
verdict came in.  I was immediately referred to the gastroenterologist
who did even more tests to confirm.  I was even sent for a CAT scan to
make sure I didn't have bone density loss from a lack of calcium.  I
wasn't even concerned about that at all.  They were.

So, I now realize my huge payments (i'm self-employed) are worth it,
not for the insurance, but for the quality of the care I've received
and continue to receive.  My new husbands insurance wouldn't cover me
for 18 months so we've had to carry both, but now I refuse to give my
HMO up; his "free" policy would cost me more in the long run.

Sorry to be so long, but this has been bothering me for some time.

Carollee in NH