Suzanne Gordon

Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) have compromised care of the sick, Suzanne Gordon maintains in the following viewpoint. Gordon claims that because HMOs allocate a small, fixed amount for each patient a doctor sees, doctors have begun viewing sicker patients as financial losses instead of people in need of compassionate care. According to Gordon, universal health care is the best way to ensure that sick people are treated properly. Gordon is a freelance journalist and author whose books include Life Support: Three Nurses on the Front Lines.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Gordon, how do “capitated” payments bankrupt physicians?
2. In Gordon’s opinion, why is caring for ill people difficult?
3. How much does the United States spend per person on health care each year, as stated by the author...