Kaiser Insurance

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I'm not trying to start a debate on healthcare (though for the record I wish we had universal coverage like the UK so we wouldn't have this problem)- just wondering if anyone else has this insurance? How are they?

In January, my husband's employer is changing from BCBS to Kaiser. I'm pretty unhappy about it. :( Lyra will no longer be able to go to the same pediatrician's office because she can only see Kaiser doctors. We will be paying the same premiums but paying more for services and will not be able to keep our doctors or go where we want for coverage. But, I guess it's better than not having any coverage, right? :(

[Freedom]

Costs keep going up and supposedly, the employer made this change to save money, somewhere along the way.

I do NOT like having to change doctors, too confusing!

[caseysmom]

I have been with Kaiser for 25 years, its come a long way and its a lot better than it use to be. Like anywhere else it depends on the doctor you get.

Most doctors on Kaiser have a website and you can get information about them and you can email them, which I love.

[catland]

when my company switched to Kaiser - we were given two options - the Kaiser HMO only (only see Kaiser doctors) - or the "added choice" option - which also covers doctors outside of Kaiser. The montly premiums are more - but it at least gives us the sense of control. Is this an option you can have?

(and yes, better than no insurance at all - and some things with Kaiser are really reasonably priced and they have an online system where you can track your own lab results - a pretty nifty thing).

[Grace]

when my company switched to Kaiser - we were given two options - the Kaiser HMO only (only see Kaiser doctors) - or the "added choice" option - which also covers doctors outside of Kaiser. The montly premiums are more - but it at least gives us the sense of control. Is this an option you can have?

(and yes, better than no insurance at all - and some things with Kaiser are really reasonably priced and they have an online system where you can track your own lab results - a pretty nifty thing).

That is fantastic!! I always get copies of my labs, but how great it would be to just go online and print them off.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I'm glad to hear that some of you are satisfied with the coverage (or at least some benefits of it).

The really ironic thing is that my husband works for a hospital. It's mainly a research hospital, but they also have patients (they deal mostly with respiratory issues and allergies- my husband has actually been seen there). Now, none of the hospital's employees will be able to use their insurance to be seen at the hospital they work at.

[Taz_Zoee]

At my work we had the same thing as Catland described. Kaiser and another carrier. Last year they dropped the other carrier because not enough people wanted it. So I had to go out on my own and get insurance. I refuse to have Kaiser. I have heard more bad things about it than good. Plus, I didn't want to change my doctors I currently have. It works for some people but not for others. But I think any insurance will be like that.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

We have Kaiser insurance, on my dad's business plan. Man, medical insurance does come in handy! I was admitted to Kaiser hospital in June, and pretty much was there the entire month. It's like $400 something a night! Thank God we have medical insurance!
Medical insurance seems incredibly complicated and confusing, don't think I could ever understand it!

[kitten645]

I had kaiser for years under my dad's plan and then with the company I first worked for. They SUCK and I hold them responsible for my dad's death. I'm glad my current company doesn't use Kaiser. They are gigantic and the patient is the least of their concerns.
Sorry you are in this situation. I agree about Univerrsal Health care.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I've had Kaiser for several years now and so far I've been happy with it. Their new location in Santa Clara is only about 5 minutes away from my home which is also great.:)

At my work we're given the option of HMO with Kaiser or I think it's Blue Shield or Blue Cross PPO. I used to have just HMO with the other carrier but I decided to switch to Kaiser because it was less expensive for me and I wasn't attached to any of my current doctor's. Most of the doctor's that I had seemed to take a leave of absence or get pregnant and not return.

Unfortunately as we get older medical costs increase so for me Kaiser was the way to go. I've had minor surgery at Kaiser,hydrothermal ablation, and it only cost me $100. It was the best $100 that I ever spent. Now I barely have any periods at all.:)

[emily_the_spoiled]

This website might help you out. It provides quality rankings for the different HMO's in the state of California and you can drill down to see what the quality measures are like for a particular medical office.

http://www.opa.ca.gov/report_card/