Medicare HMOs: part of the solution or part of the problem in the struggle for cost containment?

The correct answer for salvage of the Medicare program while maintaining acceptable medical care is clearly not available today. Managed care programs for seniors have been an option in the last decade and plans are expanding rapidly into previously untapped areas. Some programs can indeed provide a multiplicity of services and thereby truly integrate and improve existing care plans. Others have less clear cut advantages. For any senior contemplating the options available for medical care under Medicare, HMOs and Medigap type instruments, the most salient advice is "buyer beware." A complete understanding of the options gained and lost by changing medical insurance coverage is essential.