The Supreme Court's pre-emptive strike against patients' rights to sue their HMOs

Managed care's influence on health care is enormous. Social workers in medical and mental health settings spend increasing amounts of time dealing with client issues that result from managed care decisions. We first provide a brief overview on the impact of managed care decisions on access to quality and appropriate medical care. Next, we present the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Aetna Health Inc. vs. Davila (2004) and its impact on consumers' access to appropriate health care. Finally, we discuss the implications of this case for social work practice.