Which Way, L.A.?

The R word in health care

Writing for a unanimous US Supreme Court, Justice David Souter has bluntly asserted what has been common knowledge in the health care industry, but rarely conceded in public. Managed Care means the rationing of medical treatment, based on financial considerations. If health care plans could be sued for being too cost-conscious, Souter declared, the "effect would be nothing less than the elimination of the for-profit HMO." In some circles, the decision is being hailed for assuring the survival of managed care. Elsewhere, there are cries of alarm because the court approved the practice of paying doctors for denying medical treatment instead of putting their patients first. What can patients do now? In the Newsmaker segment, a look at the big picture surrounding a French media company's 0 billion takeover move on Seagram, parent of Universal. On Reporter's Notebook, Alejandro Mayorkas on the crime summit in Southern California and prospects for dealing with a rash of serious crime.