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While the future seems uncertain to many in healthcare, there are tell-tale signs of how past opportunities and failures are becoming part of a cycle that will lead us to the future.
In the early 1970s, we saw a new type of healthcare organization emerge called the Health Maintenance Organization. These demonstration projects were encouraged by the government to provoke competition and improve use of resources. Embraced by many communities as a comprehensive solution to both price and quality, HMOs grew rapidly in many markets, attracting the ire of insurance companies who lost large groups of insured and drawing the anger of many physicians who saw charts move from their office to the aligned HMO physician offices. Consumers were drawn to the simplicity of few deductibles, guaranteed access, and comprehensive coverage. Employers were drawn by lower prices but also fewer calls from workers overpayment or access.