Kaiser or PPO?

I have had good and bad experiences with both Kaiser and PPOs. The one thing I like about Kaiser is that there is no mystery about how much you are going to have to pay for their services. And in my personal opinion their staff has a very comparable skill set and bed side manner. Right now I'm on a PPO and if I had the option to go back to Kaiser I probably would. If you decide to go with a PPO the Vancouver Clinic has several locations throughout Vancouver and they accept most PPO plans. I've been with them for almost 3 years and they have a good staff. If you ever end up having to go in for hospital or specialty services I would highly recommend Emanuel. We've had to spend a lot of time there over the past 6 months or so because our youngest son had congenital lung problems, and I have consistently been impressed with their staff. They have are very compassionate and knowledgeable.

I've had both Kaiser and Blue Cross PPO. I much prefer Kaiser. The reason I went back to Kaiser when I was able to do so had a great deal to do with cost. I've had several CTs and MRIs in a preferred provider plan but yet each time I had to pay $100+ after BC paid their share.

With BC I also had several doctors because I needed specialists. It was difficult to make sure all of them knew what the others knew so that I would receive the correct treatment. I also had to repeat my medical history over and over. With Kaiser all of the doctors have the same chart. And now that I'm back with Kaiser the most important reason for being there is the friendliness and security I feel because I'm accepted as part of the team. They pay attention to detail. I have a primary care doctor who refers me to specialists in the same system. Sometimes even in the same building. I can self refer myself to some areas of specialty. There is not a long wait for an appointment. The primary care doctor knows what the specialist has done just by using the computer. I've never felt rushed during an appointment and felt that the doctors had my best interests at heart. They really listened unlike some doctors I've known.

Being able to access my health information on the computer is a big plus. I can see results of tests and know what the normal range is and if mine fall within it.

I can order prescriptions on the computer. I can get a 3 month supply of an ongoing prescription by mail and only pay the co-pay for 2 months.

I can make appointments on the computer and send messages to my doctor. I also get my questions answered.

Urgent Care is available 24/7. When my condition was urgent the clinic made appointments for me. They also provided home visits from a nurse when I chose to give myself antibiotic injections rather than being admitted to the hospital.

Educational information is easily accessed thru their web site.

I feel more secure in knowing that all my health issues are being taken care of in one place and that I'm a part of decision making.

Hi L.. I have to disagree with the previous 2 responses and would much rather have a PPO rather than Kaiser because I choose care over cost. My fiance has Kaiser and he can't wait to change to a PPO. Having past experience working in the medical field, I know first hand that they don't provide sufficient service to their "regular" patients. What I mean by regular is the everyday non-life threatening issues. I'm not kidding when I tell you that even their dentists are the same way. Each & every time he has wanted to be seen, it's been over a months wait & with the dentist, it was 3 months for getting cavities taken care of. When they finally saw him & wanted to schedule another appointment, it was another 2 months. With urgent care, there are very few of them so I'd make sure that one is close to where you live. We're in Gresham and if he has to go to urgent care (which is almost always since he can't get an appt for so long), we have to drive to Clackamas. Although the price may be right, you'll suffer in more important areas such as the level of care you receive. Kaiser is their own world and once you're sucked in, you're doomed to wait...and wait...and wait.