Kaiser Med Ins...????

[MAINEVENT]

Anybody have an opinion on Kaiser Good??? Bad??? My company is now offering it as an option... was thinking of switching over... Any input greatly appreciated...
TIA

[DesertGirl]

I used to have it, and have a good experiences every time. I have Blue cross now, which is working out just as well. Good luck

[YeLLowBoaT]

Compared to the other plans I have been in, Its GREAT.

[RitcheyRch]

Never had it. Know people that have it and most seem pleased. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield.

[Kilrtoy]

Have had kaiser my whole life and love it....
very good coverage..
I know some people have hadvery bad experiences with it , but we have not

[blown dough]

I used to have it, and have a good experiences every time. I have Blue cross now, which is working out just as well. Good luck
Our employees got to pick their insurance and most of them picked the Kaiser Plans and they all seem to be pretty happy with it and a know a few of them have been using it a lot with their families.

[a catered life]

for kids their great they have one of the best kids section in la...for me there cool also ...i think the best way to judge any insurance is iwhen you have an emergency and we had one about 4-5 years ago i was out of town in the south visting family and my then 1 1/2 year old had a high fever and was throwing up...i was scared because there was no kaiser in mobile, alabama and i knew the ER bill was going to kill me i went to er with her and they attended to her we were there for about 3 hours i made one call to kaiser they said they would handle it and they did just that.. i never heard from them again until they sent me a remibursable check (wtf) for $85 :p for money they owed to me....most insurances are the same the difference is the co pay and what they pay when you have to go to the hospital....we have had 3-4 other insurances but kaiser has served us best

[Mrs. Bordsmnj]

We have Kaiser and I love it. But we have Kaiser thru the IBEW union so we hardly pay for anything....nothing for office visits, $5 for 3 months of prescriptions, etc. It took me a while to find a doctor I liked but I eventually did and all is well.

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Patience and understanding how it's system works seems to bring the happiest Kaiser members. Knowing how to use their system counts alot.
Like hanging on to the doctors you and your squeeze like.
In it's kinda systemlike operation, the gears can turn slowly,,,
We have a choice of 7 plans and took Pacificcare because we're on the road alot:
Reguardless of what anyone tells ya, if you go to a non-Kaiser emergency room and have Kaiser it's a big red flag to the Hospital staff.
People despute this, but it's what we've found to be true.
They'll maybe stabilize you and then ship ya off to Kaiser.
The maternity is kinda goofy we're told. Very regimented,, and prone to labor strikes, the moms change their own sheets, ect ect,,,

[djunkie]

I HATE KAISER. I was stuck with it for a few years and now I finally am into a PPO. I will never go back to Kaiser.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MudPumper]

I've had Kaiser my entire life and have had nothing bud good experiences with them. The one thing you need to know though is this. If you have an issue, you need to tell the doctor what you want done. They tend to be real conservative as far as treatment sometimes, always starting at the bottom and taking baby steps. Not always the best thing.
Here is my example. I blew out a disk weight lifting. Went to the Dr. and they said I just strained a muscle. Gave me some muscle relaxers and Vicodin. Couple weeks goes by and my foot is tingling and I have pain shooting down my leg. Go back to the Dr. and they take x-rays and refer me to physical therapy. By this time I'm taking Darvocet like Pez candy for the pain and my foot is completely numb. I need an MRI to get an accurate diagnosis of my injury but can't get one without a referral. Finally get a referral to the back specialist who orders the MRI. Get the MRI and meet with the Neurologist to get the results. I see the Nureologist in the morning and he tells me he want's to operate that night because my injury and risk of permanent nerve damage was so severe. Anyway, my point is this. From the time I injured myself, to the time I had surgery was almost 2 months because I had to jump through hoops. With Kaiser, always exagerate your symptoms and demand the most be done, otherwise, they will always try to treat you by the most conservative means. It's a business and they are about saving and making money.

[BADBLOWN572]

I have it and so far nothing but good things to say about it. Cheap and easy.

[Nordic35Flame]

I have had it for 26 years, never had any problems. I know people who hate it but I love it.

[diggler]

Wife was on it before we married. She switched over immediately to my Blue Cross PPO. The hoops she had to go through to just get a mammogram were unbelievable. Blue Cross streamlined everything and we're very satisfied.

[Racer277]

The one thing you need to know though is this. If you have an issue, you need to tell the doctor what you want done.
always exagerate your symptoms and demand the most be done,
I've found this to be true.
Tell them what you want done.

[Riverless]

I've had Kaiser my entire life and have had nothing bud good experiences with them. The one thing you need to know though is this. If you have an issue, you need to tell the doctor what you want done. They tend to be real conservative as far as treatment sometimes, always starting at the bottom and taking baby steps. Not always the best thing.
I absolutely agree with this. Have had Kaiser for 11 years, and I find what MudPumper had to say totally true. The good thing is, I've never had them turn me down when I've asked for a specific test or referral, the secret is "asking" them. If you don't say anything, they won't always offer you the test or referral. Two words when dealing with Kaiser or your healthcare in general, "be proactive."
:)

[Havasu1986]

Have had kaiser my whole life and love it....
very good coverage..
I know some people have hadvery bad experiences with it , but we have not
Theres a Kaiser in Havi?

[Mrs.Racer277]

Theres a Kaiser in Havi?
NO- Kaiser is not in AZ.
If you know how to work the system to get what you need........I guess it is not a bad way to go.
If you can deal with an HMO????

[tcook33]

We offer Kaiser for our employees and most of them love it.
I have it personally for me and my family. I upgraded to the Point of Service plan where you can choose your own doctor from anywhere.

[Desert Rat]

I had Kaiser for many years. Loved the NorCal Kaiser but hate the Kaiser here in SoCal!!! If you have to see a specialist you will most likly wait a few months to get into see them! Just remember that the doctors you see are swamped most the time and you will have to be somewhat proactive in your care. Don't be afraid to demand to see a specialist or get a second opinion. The are pretty good in the pediatrics department. You will float from Doctor to doctor until you pick a primary care doctor. All in all I would say it's better then nothing!

[C-2]

We've had it for years and has helped thru birth, death, infertility issues (co-pays only, we had friends who had to mortgage $30K to do the same as us), then high risk pregnancy, an auto accident requiring hospitalization and now pediatrics.
Not a complaint - other than not enough parking and they could use hotter nurses!

[djunkie]

Ok heres a somewhat short version of my issues with Kaiser. I had a medical issue. So I make an appointment to see my doctor there. Well he's booked for weeks so I had to see another doctor. He has me take a few tests. 2 weeks later I get test results back and they find nothing. But something is wrong I tell them. Well he says I need more tests. So I wait and wait (calling and bugging them the whole time) and they never approve these further tests cause they didn't find anything wrong with the original tests. So a couple years later (I still have the problem) and I go back to yet another different doctor. Go through the same old BS. They won't give me my tests. So with my new job, after being there for 18 months I get to switch to a PPO. Go to my old pysician who I had years ago. He does some tests. Thinks he finds a problem but need to go to a specialist. A week later (not months) I'm in a specialists office. A week after that I'm getting the tests ran (that Kaiser wouldn't do). Problem found. Now I'm on medication which is helping my problem. Great thing is, when I need to see MY doctor now, I can see him without waiting weeks for an opening.
1 nice thing about Kaiser is the pharmacy is in the same building as the doctors office. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Focker]

People Either Love Kaiser Or They Hate Kaiser. There Is No Middle Ground

[Trailer Park Casanova]

An additional thought:
Where I work whatever your med ins is for the last year of employment is what they put you on when you retire.
You can retire at 38 with 20 yrs on the job (all the chix op for this 60 % of your pay),, or as little as 5 yr on the job at 55.
The Blues work best in Az and Nevada so I'm told.
If ya got Kaiser you're kinda limited to their service area and where ya might want to live.

[92562]

People who have had Kaiser their entire life and love it, don't know any better. Not hating here, just the facts. Kaiser is fine as long as you never get old or very sick.
Health Management Organizations are exactly what the name implies. Some non-physician 3rd party will decide what care you get every single time. They have a team of actuaries that calculate risk and if you cost too much to save.........(unless of course you know someone).

[BajaMike]

I have had Kaiser for about 4 months now and I love it. I've had a couple minor medical issues, and I have never had to wait more then 5 minutes to see my primary doctor, have gone to the Mission Viejo clinic on weekends and waited about 10 minutes, lab tests done right away and Rx done right away.
I have bad stuff in SoCal all my life about Kaiser, but I think they are great.
:idea:

[lalhc]

I had Kaiser as a youth until I got married. I thought it was great until I was able to compare it w/ a PPO. In my opinion, PPO's are much better w/more options. One thing that we are most thankful for is that our youngest son has a heart condition known as Pulmonary Stenosis. Once we found this out, our pediatrician referred us directly to a list of pediactric cardiolist at Loma Linda Medical Center. He has the best care possible for his condition in S. Cal. Know one will ever change my opinion on that one.

[CBadDad]

I wouldn't take my dog to a kaiser facility.
I have been a paramedic for over 18 yrs now and although I don't spend much time on an ambulance anymore, I have been in and out of many different hospitals. Their care is substandard to say the least. I could go on and on about many different situations I have seen, from picking up their patients at their clinics to bringing patients to their Emergency Rooms. From simple stuff at Labor & delivery to CPR's. Not to mention personal experiences of friends and family THAT KNOW WHAT GOOD HEALTH CARE IS.
Kaiser was the first insurance plan that realized that it was cheaper to let a pateint die than to try and save them. That about sums it up.
Don't do it!

[YeLLowBoaT]

FWIW kaiser is a none profit, most of the others are not. my exp with other ers is that they don't do what they said they did on the medical chart.