Health Maintenance organisation (HMO) is a health insurance plan that provides health services to staff and their families, as well as access to doctors and hospitals within its network. It is one of the privileges one gets from working with a firm. There are different health plan packages for staff according to their ranks at work, funded by the organisation.
But it is so sad the way some of these HMO’s partners treat staff that needs urgent medical attention. After presenting their company’s HMO ID card to them, some will spend hours trying to verify the staff, some will not issue the right and complete medicine to staff but will prefer to sell it to their patients that are paying instantly. For minor issues like headaches or body pain, you will be referred to do a blood test to increase the medical bills they will send to the organisation. At times, during a critical medical condition, you will have to be delayed more to get approval if they can issue you a particular medication.
These services are not free, for God's sake! but in order not to look as if one is begging for medical attention, staff prefer to pay to get instant service or buy any medication outside after they get the doctor’s prescription. The lives of every staff and that of their family matter. I write to company’s HR and HMO to look into these issues critically.