Fewer People on Medicare Are Dropped by H.M.O.'s

Surprising news from the Sept. 9 N.Y. Times: In an article by Robert Pear, it's reported that the "exodus of health maintenance organizations from Medicare, a trend that has alarmed elderly people and members of Congress since 1999, will slow to a trickle next year, the industry said today. . . . Karen M. Ignagni, president of the American Association of Health Plans, the lobby for H.M.O.'s and other private plans, said they would drop 39,000 Medicare beneficiaries next year." Seems the plans are expecting more relief from Congress' parsimonious reimbursement rates in the next year.