Supporting the patient.

Patients may be the only consumers who have to seek permission from someone else in order to obtain services. Even those with traditional health insurance require the recommendation of their physicians, as well as the consent of their insurers, to be reimbursed. People who join health maintenance organizations (HMOs) put their health in the hands of primary care physicians who serve as gatekeepers to specialists, and the many millions of uninsured Americans must rely on the professional services of hospital staff physicians (as well as the charity of the hospitals where they seek emergency care). No plan for health care . . .