Kaiser Permante Questions - Page 2

DoneTryin · ‎03-09-2010

On 3/31/2014 chickenbutt said:
On 3/31/2014 VCamp2748 said:
On 3/31/2014 chickenbutt said:
If you can avoid Kaiser, that would be advantageous to you. I remember when I lived in LA the motto was 'Kaiser Kills'. I knew some people with some horror stories. One of them involved what Kaiser did to their baby. It was just horrible. I've never seen anything like it since.

I've heard "horror stories" about many other health insurance companies, so Kaiser doesn't hold a patent on "bad things that might happen."

Oh, I get that. I wouldn't say that Kaiser is the only bad place. This was, more specifically, about Kaiser Permanente facilities.

OK. I've had Kaiser for years & years & have always been very satisfied with both the caregivers & the facilities.

rhinovodka · ‎07-29-2013

I have had Kaiser for years and have been pleased with them. If you are referred outside the network, they will refer you to someone of their choice. Kaiser will be billed for the costs of the service, any co-pays you may have are your responsibility.

GSPgirl · ‎01-03-2012

My brother in law had brain cancer and had Kaiser as his insurance. The family wanted another opinion, so Kaiser paid for him to go to another hospital. This was 9 years ago. The other hospital gave the same diagnoses. I have since found out that Kaiser did refer to the hospital of their choice. We all wanted him to go to Stanford, but I am not sure Kaiser would have paid for it. I think Kaiser was great, but their customer service was awful where I lived. The way they treated me when I miscarried was horrible. My husband and I are much happier with private insurance and not an HMO.

Teddixat · ‎10-04-2010

I live in Los Angeles and I am very familiar with Kaiser. It is not the Kaiser of old. They have very good doctors now- they pay them better and I know several people young and old who are very pleased with their coverage. For someone to sat to avoid them at all costs is just uninformed.

I have a friend who had a humongous growth on his neck and he belonged to Kaiser in the San Fernando Valley. They did an incredible job - they removed it and he totally recovered so do not paint Kaiser with a broad brush based on Kaiser many years ago.

Disneylandfan · ‎03-10-2010

My experience with Kaiser was okay until I had problems with my hip. I had broken and dislocated it in college. I have screws in it. I was having pain and a Kaiser ortho doctor said he could take the screws out, it would be a really simple surgery. Well to take the screws out my entire hip would have to come out because the screws heads face inward towards the pelvis. Uh no thank you. When I changed insurance I got another opinion and the doctor said I was lucky I didn't let him touch me.

I had asked if I could have another opinion and was told the other ortho doctor in the same office could be my second opinion but nothing from the outside.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

On 3/31/2014 VCamp2748 said:
On 3/31/2014 chickenbutt said:
On 3/31/2014 VCamp2748 said:
On 3/31/2014 chickenbutt said:
If you can avoid Kaiser, that would be advantageous to you. I remember when I lived in LA the motto was 'Kaiser Kills'. I knew some people with some horror stories. One of them involved what Kaiser did to their baby. It was just horrible. I've never seen anything like it since.

I've heard "horror stories" about many other health insurance companies, so Kaiser doesn't hold a patent on "bad things that might happen."

Oh, I get that. I wouldn't say that Kaiser is the only bad place. This was, more specifically, about Kaiser Permanente facilities.

OK. I've had Kaiser for years & years & have always been very satisfied with both the caregivers & the facilities.

I'm glad. Hopefully, they are a lot better now. This was many years ago (decades), so perhaps they have had to change from back then. I just always tend to cringe when I hear/read Kaiser because of back then.

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

On 3/31/2014 chickenbutt said:
If you can avoid Kaiser, that would be advantageous to you. I remember when I lived in LA the motto was 'Kaiser Kills'. I knew some people with some horror stories. One of them involved what Kaiser did to their baby. It was just horrible. I've never seen anything like it since.

Kaiser is very big in the San Francisco Bay Area. We had many friends there with Kaiser as their provider. I asked a very close friend of mine what she found so great about Kaiser and her answer? "The drugs only cost $1 for each prescription!" That was the reason she LOVED Kaiser.

However, by 1995 I had 3 friends who were no longer with us due to this institution. One had a very, very long standing diagnosis of chronic bronchitis, which turned out to be lung CA. He found out his fate two weeks before his passing. I never had the chance to say good-bye. Another had "the worst headache ever" for almost a month. Kept going back and kept getting the same answer: "You lead a stressful life at work. You need to get rid of some of that stress. When you do, your headaches will go away." He passes of an undiagnosed anuerysm. Another had heme---oids removed - a same day surgery. Went home to recouperate and planned to take a week off work. Following day developed a fever. Called the surgeon's office. Was told not to worry - just an expected reaction after surgery. The fever increased in the days following. More calls to the surgeon. Dr said to take tylenol. He passed of sepsis after 6 days.

When you learn exactly what an HMO is in the business of doing, you come to realize what your chances are of quality care and YOUR ability to affect positive change.

Always recommended: When making an appointment with a new physician, ask where that doctor went to medical school and if he/she did a residency and whether the doc is board certified. If they won't answer you, when you get to the doctor's office look for diplomas on the wall. If you see diplomas for other docs on the walls, ask your doctor those questions. There are medical schools and then there are medical schools.

Dell1 · ‎03-09-2010

My daughter has/had a heart condition and was referred to the University of California at San Francisco for two medical procedures. Her pediatric cardiologist made the referral and UCSF called to make her appointment in a couple of days. She was referred twice and both procedures were done in one day and she went home on the same day.

People will bad talk Kaiser Permanente like many do Wal-Mart. I had a surgery in 2010 and 2012. Both those surgeries saved my life. Both my children were both at Kaiser and my daughter just had her son at Kaiser.

jjeanne · ‎06-03-2010

I don't have it, but my sister has their medicare advantage program, and is very happy with it. I live in Houston and have Kesley medicare advantage program. It is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They just recommended me to an outside of the network for a special lung procedure. I was one of the best in the country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very satisfied with both places.

DoneTryin · ‎03-09-2010

On 3/31/2014 sfnative said:
On 3/31/2014 chickenbutt said:
If you can avoid Kaiser, that would be advantageous to you. I remember when I lived in LA the motto was 'Kaiser Kills'. I knew some people with some horror stories. One of them involved what Kaiser did to their baby. It was just horrible. I've never seen anything like it since.

Sorry about what happened to your friends.

Anyone with internet access can get the licensing info on any caregiver by searching their state's website. Here in CO the info's under DORA-Department of Regulatory Agencies. There's an entire listing of the different areas that require licensing, e.g., barbers, hairdressers, nail techs, doctors, nurses, certified nurse aids, lawyers, etc. I can look up a physician's med school & if their license is current. There's other info, too, that's public record, but I can't remember all of it right now.