Do you like your HMO? (anyone using Kaiser?)

scottmandue · 04-17-2012, 09:59 AM

Ok, wife is moving down... she is currently on Kaiser, I'm on Blue Shield.

I'm thinking maybe I should switch to Kaiser so all her records follow her.

My parents are on Kaiser (over 80 years old) and seem to visit the doctor weekly, and Kaiser has been good for them (two hip replacements, one shoulder replacement, colon cancer, esophagus cancer, dad crashed on his moped and was in the hospital for over a week, all on Kaisers dime). Mom and dad are still going strong thanks to Kaiser (well, mom is using a walker... but they are almost 90 now) wife has also had two surgeries and I feel they took good care of her (In Portland, OR).

When I worked for my dad I had Kaiser, so I know the ups and downs of their "system".

With my Blue shield I have a Dr. that is a nice guy that I have been seeing for over a decade... but he is very popular and therefore very busy so the office waits can't be a bit long. Not that I expect lighting fast attention with Kaiser. I also expect that different locations will have different levels of service.

If I switch I would go back to the location I (and my parents still do) went to when I worked for my dad in Harbor city CA.

Anyone here have Kaiser and do you feel they take good care of you?

BRPORSCHE · 04-17-2012, 10:04 AM

I have a PPO with BCBS and I have been happy. Why can't she just stay with Kaiser and you with BCBS? Or am I missing something here?

Jim Richards · 04-17-2012, 10:13 AM

My wife had (IMO) crap service from Kaiser, and this year she's trying BCBS. I had Kaiser many years ago and hated them. The retired couple living next door to our place in SoCal has Kaiser and they love it.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

We had KP when we lived in SoCal. I can't say enough good things about them. I don't like talking about personal things on here, but suffice to say if not for the excellent care we received from them, I'd almost certainly be a widower today (wife had some serious health issues/complications a few years ago that I won't get into here). I'm not sure if that's a testimony to the quality of the HC professionals we're churning out these days in general or whether it's a testimony to KP's ablity to attract/retain/manage them, but whatever they're doing seems to work quite well IMHO. I can't argue with the results.

Vipergrün · 04-17-2012, 10:45 AM

Wife has Kaiser. They were nothing but excellent when we dealt with our daughters diagnosis of diabetes. Hospital was great, staff was great. Local offices have been nice and efficient to work with. I think they are diligently working on changing their image.

scottmandue · 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRPORSCHE

I have a PPO with BCBS and I have been happy. Why can't she just stay with Kaiser and you with BCBS? Or am I missing something here?

When she moves down I will be putting her on my insurance until she can find a job... don't think we can split the coverage and have no idea how long it will take for her to find a job and what kind of medical they will offer (if any).

Also at my age (55) I (we) may need more "procedures" in the future and Kaiser seems to be good at such things.

I have been healthy as a horse my whole life... however time is relentless and the aches and pains are getting more noticeable.

I should add that Kaiser is more high tech in that their Dr. do email, the records are all electronic, you can check your results on their website, etc.