4 ms·

I have Kaiser HMO in California. I think it's awesome, and the best health care I've ever had. I'm also from Canada, so I'm comfortable with the idea of socia

by steven2012 14y ago

I have Kaiser HMO in California. I think it's awesome, and the best health care I've ever had. I'm also from Canada, so I'm comfortable with the idea of socialized medicare. However, when I compare stories between me and my friends in Canada, there really is no comparison. I basically pay a $20-30 co-pay per visit (something that was completely foreign to me when I first moved to the US), and then anything and everything gets done for me. I have never experienced the horror stories you hear about where insurance companies try to opt for cheaper treatments or deny services to save money. Any test or procedure I needed, or even asked about, I could get. The longest I waited for things like a MRI was 2 days, and 9 days for an endoscopy. My doctor was willing to get me a CT scan the next day for this stomach problem I had. My friends in Canada have waited 4 months for an MRI and 3 months for a CT scan. My dad had to wait about 6-8 weeks to get a pacemaker installed, even though his heart was stopping for 5-10 seconds several times a day. Seeing a specialist takes months in Canada vs days with Kaiser. On weekends, if I get sick I don't have to wait in Emergency for hours like in Canada, I can just set up an appointment at one of the hospitals and see a GP in around 30-45 mins, and they have full access to all my medical records. The downside is that when I'm out of a Kaiser area, I have to pay out of pocket unless it's an emergency (I believe). The only time I felt vulnerable was when my family was out of state, and they didn't have Kaiser facilities there.

mjmahone17 14y ago
Which is part of the problem with reform: you happen to have a functioning HMO. What happens when you change employers? What happens when your employer doesn't offer insurance? You are one of the lucky few who has the connections, and deep-corporate-pockets (presumably, unless you're paying for your insurance out of pocket) to be able to get good insurance. But that isn't how most the country works. It's probably better for the masses to have the longer Canadian waits, rather than the quick-care American bankruptcies (or non-care).
bluedino 14y ago
It used to be like this for most people in the USA with insurance. Slowly, costs rose and benefits have been dropped. What used to be a $20 (or even $0!) co-pay became abused, people would visit the doctor every week, and since it didn't cost them anything, they had no reason not to go. These days you'll find a high-deductible plan that does the reverse - encourages people to NOT go to the doctor because until they've hit a $3,000 tab, the insurance won't kick in a single dollar.

mjmahone17 14y ago

Which is part of the problem with reform: you happen to have a functioning HMO. What happens when you change employers? What happens when your employer doesn't offer insurance? You are one of the lucky few who has the connections, and deep-corporate-pockets (presumably, unless you're paying for your insurance out of pocket) to be able to get good insurance. But that isn't how most the country works. It's probably better for the masses to have the longer Canadian waits, rather than the quick-care American bankruptcies (or non-care).

bluedino 14y ago

It used to be like this for most people in the USA with insurance. Slowly, costs rose and benefits have been dropped. What used to be a $20 (or even $0!) co-pay became abused, people would visit the doctor every week, and since it didn't cost them anything, they had no reason not to go. These days you'll find a high-deductible plan that does the reverse - encourages people to NOT go to the doctor because until they've hit a $3,000 tab, the insurance won't kick in a single dollar.