Kaiser Insurance... Tell Me Something Good!

I have heard, that it depends on the region/city.
The one here in Honolulu, is supposed to be good.
Then I have a friend in another State and she says it stinks.
Then I have a friend, who's Husband used to work for Kaiser, and they said it depends on the city/the doctors they have/etc.
????

I've been very pleased with the switch. The best thing is the access that each Dr. has to your medical record, with ease. I can go from this Dr. to that specialist and everything is available to them, they can easily see my history. I can do a ton of stuff on line, from making appointments, to emailing my dr. Its been a great switch.

I have not had terrific luck with my own GP as an adult, but eye glasses and pediatrics have been great. Our dentist (that we adore) does not take Kaiser so we have Aetna for him. Our pediatrician is TERRIFIC.

A benefit is that anywhere in the network, if you have to go to urgent care, for example, they can pull up your info. We started on Kaiser because my stepkids lived part time with their mom and she was able to take them to her local clinic. I also like Urgent Care and pharmacy right in the same building, and you can email your doctor, do refills online, stuff like that. It's just the hoops to get seen by a specialist or get diagnostics sometimes.

It's not BAD, but it's an HMO.

I LOVE having Kaiser... We had to switch to blue cross for about 6 months when we first moved because my employer didn't offer Kaiser, but as soon as it was an option I switched us back.

1) Great, electronic record keeping. Everything is in there... so when you go to a specialist there is no issue of them not getting your records or something not being on the referal.

2) Referral process is SO easy you don't even notice it happening. No forms. No waiting for HMO approval. No checking for network doctor. If your doctor says "I want you to have this blood work done." That's it. You walk to the lab (down the hall in the same building) and have the lab work done. It's covered. Period. Your doctor says "I'd like you to see a specialist." The doc has the nurse schedule the appointment for you right then!

3) Great advice nurses on call 24/7

4) You DO get a primary car doctor now who is YOUR doctor and you'll always see them, or get called back by them etc (that's a change from several years ago). However, it is really easy to get appointments when you need them because if you don't mind seeing another doctor, they can almost always fit you in with SOMEONE almost immediately.

5) Pharmacy is right there, and if your doctor prescribes it, it's covered. Done.

6) Great groups and classes at most medical centers. Parenting classes, weight management classes, birthing classes, diabetes class, ADHD group, etc.

I had Kaiser for 20 years and loved it, HATING blue shield :(

All electronic health records are a plus, not unique to Kaiser though. They make it very easy to make appointments and get lab results because they haven't been able to train humans how to do it or get you in contact with your physicians.

I would be nervous to switch back as well. I have seen too many negative outcomes, awful physician errors and terrible patient management.

I would pay anything to keep my PPO....oh, I guess I do (happily).

We had Kaiser when we moved back from Germany. Their offices were located 1 mile from our home and one block from my work. I didn't have problems getting an appointment.

If you are used to seeing ONE doctor - the might not happen under Kaiser. So be prepared for that. However - the plus for that is that one doctor might catch something the other didn't. Different pair of eyes and different thought process....

The only reason we dropped it was because they weren't authorized at our local hospital and that's where we wanted to have babies (our hospital is a very nice and good one that is 1.5 miles from our home) and the Kaiser approved hospital was 22 miles away.

Now? Kaiser doctors are approved at our hospital. However, Kaiser is not a plan that my husband's employer offers. When we checked out (while he was unemployed) the personal plan for Kaiser it was actually more expensive than our COBRA.

I have had Kaiser most of my adult life. I didnt for about 5yrs and had Blue Shield instead. I was happy when my husband and I got married 15yrs ago that his company offered Kaiser so we (husband, self & 12yr old son) have Kaiser. Some of the reasons I like Kaiser are: everything in one place, if at a doctors visit and you need a prescription the doctor can order it during the visit and then you have less time to wait for it when you get to the pharmacy. You can order refills on line and have them mailed to you at no extra charge. You can set a reminder on Kaiser web site that reminds you to order a prescription. You can make an appointment on line for many departments; not all tho. You can send messages to your doctor via their web site and even include a picture if need be. I have emailed doctors at 8pm at night and have even got a response same night as it seems alot of doctors check their messsage system from home also. Kaiser has some great doctors so dont be worried due to things you have heard from others.The Kaiser of so many years ago when it was the first HMO around is not the same Kaiser as it is today. Every family has some sort of horror story related to their medical insurance. I love my sons pediatrician. We use the Martinez facility but you will probably choose Walnut Creek as it is closer to Lafayette. My friend works at the Martinez facility in the 'Personal Physican Selection' dept. She helps people (is this area) figure out who is the best doctor for their needs and things of that nature. Once you have Kaiser you can call that department and they can help you.

I have been with Kaiser now for over 9 years and I love it. Like you I had to switch and was really worried about it. The only hard part was picking new doctors without any references. But once I picked our doctors, we were able to make appointments and then judge from there is they worked for us.

I only had one problem and that was with my first OB/GYN, but once I switched and explained why to my new one, he told me all of the things she said that he disagreed with and gave me much more information.

My kids love their doctor.

I don't find it difficult to get in when I need to at all.

I haven't had Kaiser for a long, long time, but when I did it was awesome. Everyone I know that has it now loves it!

Kaiser is not the same as it use to be in the old days with the scary reputation. My understanding is alot of the newest doctors come to Kaiser. I have Kaiser once again. I had it when my kids were little because of the pediatrics.

I have a good doctor and have not had any bad experiences as of yet. Can't beat the price for meds if you need them. Everyone has to be their own advocate when it comes to health, but if you find the right doctor they usually have no problem referring you to a specialist if you need it.

I know how you feel because I felt that same way away 1-1/2 years ago before I switched to Kaiser, but so far so good!!

It will be fine!!!!

I have had Kaiser for 35+ years, and am very happy with it. It's easy to schedule appointments. I have my own doctor, but other doctors are available if I need to see someone right away and she is not available. The advice nurses are fantastic (especially the pediatric ones!).
Obviously, you can have a bad experience, but there are good doctors and bad doctors everywhere. Kaiser has a lot of great doctors. I have run into one that I didn't like, and switched to a different one--but I had a few doctors I didn't like before we had Kaiser.
No matter what your health insurance is, you need to be proactive about your health.

I have had Kaiser insurance for most of my life. 20 or so years. I love it. Every professional that you need is in the same clinic or one in the same city. Every doctor you see has your complete medical chart. Their goal is to keep their patients healthy so that they need less treatment. They do a lot of prevention type care.

You do choose a primary care doctor who will refer you for a few specific specialties tho I've found that the only referral I've needed was to dermatology and sleep clinic.

Depending on your plan some of what you need has no co-pay. I just had a mammogram for no charge. Tests and X-rays no charge.

I had BC/BS for 6 years and was pleased with their coverage too. However, I have the same great coverage with less or lower co-pays.

I have had Kaiser my entire life and I am happy with it. I think their biggest strength is in specialization. Doctors from different departments collaborate well together. I have a rare form of hemophillia so this was of great benefit to me. Thea covered it pretty well. The advice nurses are great and save a lot of time. If it's a routine thing, like a UTI, you can get a phone appointment with a doctor (and ultimately a prescription) without having to go in. I also love being able to email my doctor and get a quick response. I have heard good things about the classes too.