<p>Kaiser NorCal 30+ years and a fan. There was a period when Kaiser was a bit wobbly, but in recent years I think the operation has improved dramatically and I wouldn’t change willingly. I did have a really, really bad PCP for a while a few years ago but it was my own fault for not taking the 5 minutes needed to get a different one. The new guy is first rate. (The old guy took a “sabbatical” and isn’t around anymore.) I’m not the kind who’s interested in shopping around town for the “right” doctor. How would I really know? Yelp? We’ve had some fairly serious health issues - as well as plenty of routine one - over the years. I’ve been happy with how they’re handled through Kaiser. </p>
<p>About a comment above - it is true, Kaiser docs and NP’s will not prescribe antibiotics on demand if they think you have a virus instead of bacterial infection. I know lots of folks with private physicians who automatically get antibiotics every time they get the sniffles. They love their docs but - not a good thing, IMHO.</p>
<p>The staff member DID have a serious bacterial infection but was still told she needed to report to work & handle newborns & other infants. I’m sure that sometimes it can be a good thing to delay giving antibiotics but sometimes it can just make the infection MUCH, MUCH worse than it should be and require a MUCH longer recovery.</p>
<p>Part of it is yes, we do need to be advocates for ourselves and there is variability, at KP & elsewhere.</p>
<p>The university kid who was injured & transported for emergency care did not have the presence of mind to try to get KP on the line & get an authorization to get transported to a place other than KP. Not sure how many students would in a medical emergency.</p>
<p>HImom, I suspect that the student’s issue was that he/she was semi-permanently living in a non-Kaiser state. (We looked into this when my daughter was studying abroad, and have reviewed the policy because our kids’ college was a long way from the nearest Kaiser.) </p>
<p>If you live in a Kaiser-covered area they will cover care provided by any medical facility in a genuine emergency anywhere in the world, and if you’re traveling, “urgent care” as well, IIRC. (If there is a Kaiser facility available you’re supposed to go/transfer there as soon as medically appropriate.) But if you move from a Kaiser-covered territory to a non-Kaiser area for an extended period (6 mo.?) you’re supposed to obtain alternate insurance, and they won’t cover your costs in that location. (At least that’s how I remember it.) My kid’s college is 40 miles from the nearest Kaiser so the U tries to make every Kaiser family buy the U policy. I ran the numbers and decided it was better to pay out of pocket for routine stuff, have my kids make the long drive for more serious stuff, and count on the “emergency” provision if needed (fortunately, hasn’t happened.) It was a big fight with the U’s medical people, but we’ve saved about $8000 in premiums net of out of pocket payments for two kids. </p>
<p>Your friend’s D’s problem probably wasn’t going to a non-Kaiser ER (there aren’t any in Texas) but living in a non-Kaiser area for a longer period than is covered, which made her ineligible for Kaiser’s “travel emergency” coverage.</p>
<p>Like everything else, you gotta read the fine print if you’re doing anything out of the ordinary.</p>
<p>There are regional differences. In N. Cal, I think Kaiser is great if you have a serious chronic medical condition. The doctors decide on the best practices, and they make sense, even when they don’t make every patient happy. Not as good if you are relatively healthy, but want what you want when you want it, or if you work there. I worked there for ten years, and walked away from benefits and a great retirement. sigh.</p>
<p>Yea, recently heard two of the pulmonologists talking about how KP paid $1 million for a lung transplant of one of their patients; they offered another patient a lung transplant but he opted against it. SIL is happy they are paying all her cancer bills.</p>
<p>My family had really good service from KP for many years until one of my family members suffered an acquired brain injury. This was in N. California. I can’t stress enough how bad their care was for someone with a severe TBI. My brother was at another hospital for the first month after his injury and was then transferred to KP because they were our HMO carrier. Their doctors told us point blank they didn’t know anything about TBI and they only had one neurologist on staff. That neurologist said he didn’t have any experience dealing with such a severe injury and didn’t make any effort to educate or help us. His language in dealing with our situation was vile at best. The staff was incompetent. My brother had awful bed sores because the staff wouldn’t turn him. They would say horrendous things in front of him such as “he doesn’t feel bed sores, he’s a vegetable.” (His brain was NOT dead and he was not technically in a “vegetative” state we later learned. But he was put in a Dr. induced coma at the other hospital, which he came out of while in KP). </p>
<p>Long story short, my family had to fight the KP doctors and staff for BASIC levels of care for my brother and were so turned off by the KP system that we joined Aetna PPO (we need the freedom of a PPO for my brother). In our experience, KP has a great pediatric department and comprehensive preventive care but their Neurology department still resides in the Stone Age. On the plus side, I’ve heard they are great for cancer treatments.</p>
<p>Decades ago, I had deposed all of the OB/GYNS in their department because our client had died of an etopic pregnancy that should have been diagnosed and treated. That was when I was engaged and got H who was a lifelong KP member to switch to BCBS. The OB/GYNS they had at that time in HI fell well below the standard of care & the case settled.</p>
<p>I believe the ophthamologists KP in HI are excellent. Do not know the current quality of the other staff there.</p>
<p>Five years ago I was at a conference in Kona when a blister on my foot (new shoes) became infected and swollen. I was so happy to see a Kaiser clinic listed in the phone book. All the staff were wearing ‘Aloha’ shirts- very relaxed atmosphere. H and D watched a cooking show in the waiting room & I saw a Dr. right away. Left with antibiotics, no hassle no charge. It was a pleasant memory in an odd sort of way.</p>
<p>We’ve been Kaiser NorCal members for decades; same with my elderly mom. It is not perfect, but overall we are satisfied. I find some of the screening process annoying but like that I can e-mail my doctor directly to get around that system. I could even attach a photo to my e-mail if I (ahem) had that technical capability. DD had a great pediatrician, so we were sad when she aged out at 18. We would run into her doctor at the library, and we loved that her kids were a few years older so that she had realistic expectations re brushing a baby’s teeth and knew what kids really do (and don’t do!)</p>
<p>I’ve got to suspect that Kaiser varies quite a bit by area. We were turned off when we were (briefly) covered by Kaiser. They sent us a big list of physicians that we could pick from. None of us were assigned to any of the doctors we picked. When I was looking through the list, I pointed to one and said, “I sure wouldn’t want to get this guy,” based on his training. Guess who I got? They also had unbearably long lines for flu shots.</p>
<p>Can’t we agree that care varies widely with all plans? I have gone through 5 doctors i 6 years since leaving Kaiser, and DH has had truly lousy care for chronic asthma since leaving Kaiser in CA. And we are paying 2.5xs more for this wonderful care. </p>
<p>I will say that years ago when Medicaid patients were moved from fee fo service to HMO plans, I worked for the call center that handled the movement. I worked with those who had emergencies (getting newborn on plan immediately for surgery, birth defect treatment, etc). Kaiser was the company with the fewest complaints. That is one reason why I later chose Kaiser when I had a choice.</p>
<p>I would hate that my kids aged out of their pediatrician at age 18. My kids continued to see their Dr when they came home from college. I like having the ability to choose my Dr. I am fortunate that I have the ability to pay for health care.
Years ago I worked for a company that had offices in both Northern and Southern Ca. At that time Kaiser North and Kaiser South were two different companies (not sure how it is today). The cost were different and the people who had Kaiser North were happier with their level of care.
As I mentioned before my Sister had Kaiser when her H was employed. When he was laided off they made the choice to continue paying privately for Kaiser. In her area Kaiser is considered a great choice.</p>