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This is why I love Kaiser (kp.org) as they are the insurer and the provider. They haven't over-billed themselves with care for me or friends.

by ukd1 6y ago

mnm1 6y ago
Until they deny you your necessary cancer screening for a few months and your cancer comes back with a vengeance requiring an operation and some major chemo just to give you a chance at staying alive, this system is great. Then again, if you never get sick, any system is fine and they all work the same.
Osiris 6y ago
I had a great experience with Kaiser (had to drop them when rates spiked after the last election). They made it easy to get answers without going in to the doctor. The primary care physician would just call/email specialist for you rather than sending you to another appointment (until it was necessary). It was obvious they wanted to keep their costs low but that also made a lot of things much more convenient for patients also.
athms 6y ago
Except they don't provide adequate mental health care even with the parity law. It takes about a month for your consultation and they funnel everybody into group therapy and/or drugs. Only those with severe mental disorders are given access to a shrink and only every 3-4 months. If you want weekly or biweekly visits to a psychoanalyst, you will be paying out of pocket. Also, as much as Kaiser likes to call themselves a non-profit, the doctor group is for-profit. Kaiser is actually composed of three separate legal entities: insurer, hospitals, and doctors. Any profit left over at the end of the fiscal year is split evenly by the hospital and doctor groups, with the doctors engaging in profit sharing. There is an incentive to provide less care to those paying out of pocket for the insurance because the doctors will reap a bigger bonus. This is not the case for Medicare and Medicaid recipients because reimbursement is based off both treatment and outcome metrics.
- shajznnckfke 6y ago
  A “shrink” means a psychiatrist, and a psychiatrist is how you get drugs. So I feel there is some conflict in your answer where you say they funnel people to drugs and also it’s hard to see a psychiatrist. In my case I went to Kaiser and it took a few weeks to get to see the shrink, who gave me drugs. If you’re looking to have your health insurance cover therapy, I agree that Kaiser is the wrong choice. I also saw a therapist for a while, who was covered by my employer’s EAP (a separate benefit from health insurance). I didn’t think most insurers would cover regular visits with a psychoanalyst. I thought they were a pretty rare resource, so if people with insurance had free access, wouldn’t they all be fully booked?
pengaru 6y ago
This is a very undesirable conflict of interests when you find yourself victim seeking damages. Your insurer should represent your best interests, not the healthcare provider's. I personally never choose KP when starting a new job if there's an alternative. You'll find yourself severely disadvantaged when the shit hits the fan under their care, speaking from experience.

This is why I love Kaiser (kp.org) as they are the insurer and the provider. They haven't over-billed themselves with care for me or friends.

by ukd1 6y ago

This is why I love Kaiser (kp.org) as they are the insurer and the provider. They haven't over-billed themselves with care for me or friends.

mnm1 6y ago

Until they deny you your necessary cancer screening for a few months and your cancer comes back with a vengeance requiring an operation and some major chemo just to give you a chance at staying alive, this system is great. Then again, if you never get sick, any system is fine and they all work the same.

Osiris 6y ago

I had a great experience with Kaiser (had to drop them when rates spiked after the last election). They made it easy to get answers without going in to the doctor. The primary care physician would just call/email specialist for you rather than sending you to another appointment (until it was necessary). It was obvious they wanted to keep their costs low but that also made a lot of things much more convenient for patients also.

athms 6y ago

Except they don't provide adequate mental health care even with the parity law. It takes about a month for your consultation and they funnel everybody into group therapy and/or drugs. Only those with severe mental disorders are given access to a shrink and only every 3-4 months. If you want weekly or biweekly visits to a psychoanalyst, you will be paying out of pocket. Also, as much as Kaiser likes to call themselves a non-profit, the doctor group is for-profit. Kaiser is actually composed of three separate legal entities: insurer, hospitals, and doctors. Any profit left over at the end of the fiscal year is split evenly by the hospital and doctor groups, with the doctors engaging in profit sharing. There is an incentive to provide less care to those paying out of pocket for the insurance because the doctors will reap a bigger bonus. This is not the case for Medicare and Medicaid recipients because reimbursement is based off both treatment and outcome metrics.

shajznnckfke 6y ago
A “shrink” means a psychiatrist, and a psychiatrist is how you get drugs. So I feel there is some conflict in your answer where you say they funnel people to drugs and also it’s hard to see a psychiatrist. In my case I went to Kaiser and it took a few weeks to get to see the shrink, who gave me drugs. If you’re looking to have your health insurance cover therapy, I agree that Kaiser is the wrong choice. I also saw a therapist for a while, who was covered by my employer’s EAP (a separate benefit from health insurance). I didn’t think most insurers would cover regular visits with a psychoanalyst. I thought they were a pretty rare resource, so if people with insurance had free access, wouldn’t they all be fully booked?

pengaru 6y ago

This is a very undesirable conflict of interests when you find yourself victim seeking damages. Your insurer should represent your best interests, not the healthcare provider's. I personally never choose KP when starting a new job if there's an alternative. You'll find yourself severely disadvantaged when the shit hits the fan under their care, speaking from experience.