<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> In message Wed, 21 Dec 1994 12:40:35 -0600, "J. Murray" <[log in to unmask]> writes: > I am wondering what people's experience has been with HMO's etc and > whether that type of health care insurance has had any impact on their > getting medical care or diagnosis. It has been my impression that some > managed care plans make life quite difficult for people with rare or > underrecognised conditions such as celiac disease. After years of illness I finally figured out that I could not tolerate gluten-containing grains in 1986. By 1987-88 I was following a gluten-free diet and noting a miraculous improvement in my general health. At that time I was at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, with an HMO called M-Care. They refused to do any tests to determine whether or not I was really a celiac because they said that I was already following the accepted treatment (=diet). I have had several different types of insurance since then and have never found a physician who was willing to run any tests on me, so I STILL don't know whether or not I have a gluten intolerance, celiac disease, or whatever. In part this is probably due to my unwillingness to go back on a gluten-containing diet (since gluten makes me very ill in "normal" serving sizes). Although I would like to know whether or not I really do have celiac disease, I do know that a GF diet works for me, so in some ways I agree that it would be a waste of health care resources to pay for tests which are not necessary to determine a course of treatment. Laura Johnson-Kelly