The HMO Tsunami! HMO, HMO, HMO (Here’s My Opinion)!

Let us take a lighthearted, meaningful look at a well-known acronym: HMO. Traditionally, it stands for Health Maintenance Organization and in the '80s and '90s, it was the rock star of health insurance. But today, let us have some fun and reframe HMO as Here’s My Opinion,  a cultural condition we all know too well.

It was only a few years ago when HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) were the talk of the town! OK, it seems like a few years ago but maybe it was a few decades ago! Back in the 80’s and 90’s, it seemed like HMO was the buzzword for most health care plans.

Before we dive into the fun, it is important to note that HMOs still exist today and can be a valuable choice for some families, often bridging gaps with PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) helping families that want more choice..

This article aims to encourage us to think critically about opinions before accepting them. Interestingly, the acronym HMO can also stand for "Here’s My Opinion," and the issues are surprisingly similar in some ways.

As mentioned, back in the day, HMOs were the rock stars of healthcare, promising structured systems and low costs. They offered benefits like cost control (fixed fees to keep wallets happy), predictable expenses (no surprise bills, just surprise waiting rooms), and employer preference (bosses loved the savings).

HMOs focused on prevention, encouraging regular checkups and coordinated care through a primary care physician (PCP) who would refer you to specialists. Supported by the 1973 HMO Act and a network of doctors, HMOs provided a simple, controlled, yet sometimes unpredictable healthcare experience.

Now, let us view the made-up character, JJ, and HMO, Here’s My Opinion. 🤣

JJ, in this scenario, has their own “cost control” strategy: why waste time fact-checking when JJ can just continuously talk and share one person’s opinion until the other person is tired of listening and just nods their head in approval? 

JJ’s opinions come with “predictable expenses,” where I know I am getting the same unverified take (sales-pitch?) every time, like clockwork but I agree just so I don’t have to listen to those redundant, and unverified, opinions again!

Employers? They were more like the social circle, who secretly prefer that chatter (overused opinions) because it fills awkward silences at parties. Prevention? Oh, JJ seems to be preventing any challenge to his views by sticking to the echo chamber! Haven’t I heard that opinion before?

The “coordinated care” for JJ is a mental loop of TikTok scrolls and half-heard rumors, and government support? That is the algorithm boosting the latest hot take, or high-level opinion. And the “access to a network?” Can that echo chamber explain what “access to what network” means one more time? 

It was more of a wild web of social media posts, untested, unverified, and about as reliable as a fortune cookie prediction. JJ thinks it is delivering a health plan for conversational strategies but it is more like a comedy sketch with a stuck rerun button!

Here is the kicker: most over-opinionated folks like JJ do not even realize they are drowning us in their HMO (Opinions). Just like HMOs promised efficiency but sometimes skimped on quality, JJ’s opinions promise wisdom but lack substance. 

Take “cost control,” HMOs cut corners to save a dollar, while JJ’s opinions skip research to save time. This leaves us with a budget of baloney. “Predictable expenses” in HMOs meant no surprises; JJ’s rants are just as unsurprising as it is recycling the same old story about alien invasions or miracle diets. 

And that “access to a network”? HMOs gave us a curated doctor list; JJ has a curated chaos of Instagram reels and barstool wisdom, proudly presented as gospel.

The humor peaks when we see JJ’s “coordinated care,” JJ is the PCP, diagnosing life’s problems with a scroll and a smirk, sending us to the mental specialists (aka the friends who nod along). HMOs had government backing; JJ’s got the invisible support of likes and shares on the website, fueling the belief that JJ is a thought leader. 

But here is the punchline: just as HMOs sometimes missed the patient’s real needs, JJ misses the plea for silence. JJ is oblivious, thinking the HMO, Here’s My Opinion, is a public service, not a public nuisance!

Let us not just laugh, let us help! 

With Encouragement, Inspiration, and Inclusion (EII), we can guide these opinionated machines toward better habits. Encourage JJ with a chuckle: “Hey, love your energy, let’s dig into some facts together!” Inspire the conversation with stories of folks who researched before speaking, maybe JJ will trade the scroll for a book. Include a fact-finding chat, turning the HMO into a team effort. 

It is like upgrading the healthcare plan from a shaky HMO to a robust wellness check, coordinated, caring, and a lot less chaotic! Whose opinion was that?

Let us remember, the next time we spot an over-opinionated HMO in action, do not groan, grin and guide! Try asking, “Where did you hear that? Let us check it out!” Share your research and take to inspire, and invite them into a real conversation. 

Got a funny HMO (Here’s My Opinion) story or a success turning one around? Drop it my way at Mark@MarkEntrekin.com, let us laugh and learn together! With EII, we can transform those endless opinions into Unity, one fact-checked chuckle, one Reality at a time.

What are opinions costing us today?