Individuals are at mercy of health care industry

My wife and I are seniors, and we have purchased our health care coverage with Humana for 2011. Humana is one of the Medicare Advantage programs. We have had our health care provided through Gundersen Clinic of La Crosse, Wis., and its satellite clinics for longer than 50 years.

This year, after we purchased our Humana coverage, we found that Gundersen chose not to be in the Humana network. When pressed to explain, the person I talked to began with,“Because of the health care reform passed by the Obama administration. ...” I guess that answered my question.

I have suspected that a lot of the negative things coming out of health care conversations is politically motivated by the health care industry, i.e., unusually higher insurance premiums, limiting network participation, about anything to make our health care needs harder to come by, and thus build up anger with the legislation.

Now we are not only at the mercy of other big businesses, but also the health care industry. As individuals, we don't have the resources to combat bigness.

Al Seabrooke

Elgin