Viewing page 27 of 49

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

MAY 5th

chances of survival were significantly reduced.
    A year after his wife's death, Dave Ching is haunted by questions: Was there anything he could have done differently? Should he have challenged Gaines earlier? Should he have taken her to a doctor outside the HMO network, regardless of the cost? 
    "There's that kind of fear they put in you with an HMO that you can't go anywhere unless your doctor tells you to," he said. "He's the law. He's God. He tells you where to go, what to do and when to do it. 
     "I'll never have an HMO again. But if I had no choice, I know how to handle them. I know how to work the system. I would be one of their worst patients."