SiCKO - The Official Site - In Theaters June 29th

Kaiser Permanente ( )

43 Comments

Dvora Mayer Says:
May 26th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
In 2000 I had to have a cyst the size of a grapefruit removed from my uterus. I was hemoragging. The decision was made to do a complete hysterectomy and while they were at it, an appendectomy (who needs an appendix)? While recovering at the hospital, a doctor (not my own) tried to “hurry up the recovery” by starting to remove the staples so I could leave the hospital sooner. On medication, I stopped him when I realized what he was doing. I stayed my hospital stay, but because of this “doctor” (whom I DID complain about), the wound got infected and I had to come straight back to the hospital for another week. To this day I have horrible scars & indentations on my abdomen that are not normal due to his taking out the staples before they were ready to come out. This was at Kaiser Hospital Anaheim Hills California.
Sylvia Hampton Says:
May 26th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
I have never had surgery at a Kaiser Hospital, but my aunt had 2 hip replacements there. She was well cared for, but I visited her every day and kept a close watch over her. My husband and I have had excellent primary care at Kaiser in San Diego. We can get in to see a doctor or nurse practitioner very quickly. Kaiser is very efficient—because it is a single payer program, which is what we need for the whole country. California is try9ing to pass SB840, a single payer system for the whole state. That would cover everyone for life for much less than we are paying now. Check out www.myspace.com/onecarenoworg
Brad Says:
June 2nd, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Matt Donars an employee of Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena is part of the problem, raking in expenses and adding to the bill for customers to pay. These expenses like everything at Kaiser Permanente, is passed on to patients to pay when Matt and other Kaiser Permanente employees, get free health care. Imagine a finger cut costing $1000.00 or more, employees will go in for band-aid cuts (a home remedy)and making a huge payout expense. Who pays for it?
Anonymous Says:
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:42 pm
In the spring of 1997 (at age 23), I discovered I had testicular cancer. While I was generally pleased with the treatment (surgery followed by radiation) I received through Kaiser, I became very angry when, two years later (at age 25), my coverage lapsed (b/c I was no longer considered a dependent) and I was denied medical coverage after reapplying. As you might imagine, I was denied coverage for a “pre-existing medical condition”. That was hard to digest, especially since I had been going to Kaiser for as long as I could remember. Fortunately, I was able to get medical coverage through the graduate school I was attending at the time.

One last thing regarding the surgery I had: After the procedure (radical inguinal orchiectomy), I puked from the general anesthesia (sodium pentathol) and they wheeled me out the front door. I never thought that was right.
Kristin Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
I’ve been a Kaiser member for 7 years and have never had better coverage or care. I can get in to see my own doctor, get my prescriptions, and get my labs done or x-rays taken all in one place. Online services and health records have made it even more convenient - I can see all my lab results online and order prescription refills to be delivered to me by mail. Once, I had to go to the Emergency Department at Kaiser Sunset in LA and was admitted for surgery. The ER and OR nurses and the surgeons were great and I had absolutely no hassle with copays or coverage. They’ve taken great care of me.
Maria Says:
June 7th, 2007 at 12:29 am
I had two babies at Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa, and received excellent care. One was a high risk pregnancy and emergency c-section, and all the care provided was top-notch. My boys have a fantastic pediatrician at KP Petaluma. My GYN is very competent. Now, the down side. I have had trouble finding competent (i.e., open to “natural” remedies and thorough in investigating symptoms and ordering tests) MD’s in Adult Medicine. I had one MD erroneously “diagnose” my spine degeneration as herniated discs without benefit of X-rays or MRI’s. (He said, “Oh, you have what I have.”) After a motorcycle accident, KP’s ER docs refused to X-ray my husband’s shoulder, despite severe pain, and wanted to put him on Vicodin. Our chiropractor X-rayed him and found he’d separated his shoulder! Hmm… Vicodin addiction through KP, or proper treatment through the old bone cracker. Too often KP wants to push drugs, not real healing. It’s the easy way out. We pay $496.00 month for KP, but we’d rather go elsewhere for our health needs.
Alicia Velasquez Says:
June 7th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
My father works for the state of california and has chosen Kaiser as his provider. When my brothers and I were kids we all went to kaiser and never had any problems. In the summer of 2000 my father, 38 at the time, was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. This was after he had repeatedly (multiple times over a 5 month period) visited the local Kaiser. I finally told him to demand a biopsy, after every antibiotic they had given him for his “sore throat” hadn’t worked. Finally a nurse practitioner, all the “doctors” had missed this, had my father open his mouth so she could look inside. She could see the tumor just by looking in his mouth…had none of the other doctors thought hmmmm maybe I should look in his mouth if he has a sore throat? My father decided to have disective surgery(they take anything and everything with cancer out) he lost the side of his lower face, teeth, part of the inside of his throat, and his chest muscle was sewed to his neck to cover the gaping hole he had. As if the experience wasn’t bad enough, while my father was in ICU at the Kaiser hospital, the man in the room next to him developed a flesh eating bacteria. The woman down the hall from him was discharged 3 days after extensive surgery and given a clean bill of health… 6 hours later we saw her family back at the hospital entrance. They said she had a heart attack 3 hours after she was discharged and that she had died.

My family has another Kaiser story regarding my mom, but I believe I have already made my point.

The only thing I can say is that the two ENT doctors that operated on my father were amazing and they did a great job!
carolyn choi Says:
June 9th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
my provider is Kaiser-permanente. I have had impecable service from them, they saved my daughters life and I think they should be the model for the national health insurance we need. Of course they make mistakes like the others. But as a nurse I find their model much better then the others I have belonged to like blue blue cross. Of course I am biased as i work in hospice care for Kaiser, and find it a very comprehensive model.
Teresa Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I think Kaiser if wonderful. I have not had any issues with them at all. I love being able to email my doctor for refills, questions and appointments. I get a response in less than 24 hours most of the time. I think for those who have had reoccurring issues that were not addressed- We need to take responsibility for our health and push our doctors to find out what is wrong. We know our bodies better than anyone else, if you feel their diagnosis is wrong, keep seeking answers or second opinions. I do not allow the doctors to be “in charge” of my health. “I” am in charge and I do not stop until I get resolve. I know this does not work with other insurance companies but it does for this one. Keep up the good work Kaiser!
olivia Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
My former provider was Kaiser-Permanente. The ambulance brought my husband to the ER for kidney stones. My Kaiser plan emergency charge was $130 (we waited two hours in the waiting room). When we finally were checked in, it was more wait. A nurse came in to check on us and ask questions regarding symptoms, husband then had a urine test. 30mins later, someone would come take blood…30mins later, nurse back and advise it is kidney stones and nurse inserted IV…30MINS LATER…Nurse advise us they will do ultrasound…30mins later, husband had an ultrasound…30-45mins later…seen doctor, advised us it is definetly ‘kidney stones’…Nurse came to check IV, then left…2 hours later, some guy came in wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans and sneakers, says,”OMG! I was driving home and I forgot to check on you! You guys can go home…I will prescribe medication (antibiotic & pain-killer)…” Then I realized it was our doctor! His shift ended, and he went home. The nurse insured us that this never happen before…I would hope not! (We were never compensated for the doctor forgetting about us.)
denise Says:
June 12th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Kaiser is a joke of an organization. You can go if you are healthy and they will check you out. But come in with an illness and they take a back seat to see if you will come out of it ok or wait until it’s too late to do anything about it. My step dad was diagnosis with esophageal cancer and the Kaiser MD waited it out, having chemo done, with no reduction of the tumor. Since this was not working and Kaiser was not in any hurry to do any type of surgery, we went to another MD and he was going to go ahead and take the tumor out. BUT, once he went in, the cancer had already spread to the liver. No tumor was removed. Had Kaiser been a lot more aggressive and taken the tumor in an earlier stage, we might still be able to enjoy my stepdad here, instead of thinking back on memories.

We are now going thru the same situation with an aunt. She was diagnosis with a sore throat and the flu. Then she finds out a year later that she has stage 4 breast cancer and there are polups in her lungs, creating her “flu” like symtoms. Since her family works within the healthcare system, we were able to be more aggressive with the utilization dept. But what about those that do not have this infomation or knowledge. There are laws out there to protect people from HMO’s and the like. We have to search these out and help each other so that no one has to lose someone to an organization like Kaiser.
Greg Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 5:37 am
I have to be honest about the good care that I have rcievd from Kaiser. But that’s Kaiser hawaii, big diference it is like the family one stop shop. Because Of the island life I know many people in key areas and I use it as much as possible. My big problem is that I;m loosing my job after 20 years and so my medical is going too be affected. I had a kidney transplant, and with all the variaty medications I have to take it’s tough
Then I was in a major car accident and that has lead me to forced medical leav. I take 30 pills a day, a shot of insu;in aday. Once a week I have a shot of procrit, It’s a daily grind of medical maddness, Well I’m giving up and I feel less then humane without work and not able to help my self. I about to loose it all and I’v been a positive hard worker and it looks like I won;t be able to pay for my medicatins, Does any one have any ideas about getting social security or something please help if you can
Peace Greg
Lucy Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 7:40 am
Nearly 5 years ago we took my Dad in to ER at Kaiser because he was having trouble swallowing. They wouldn’t let us in to see him right away, but imagine our shock when we were told that he was brain dead. When I raised a fuss, Kaiser told us so many different stories about what had happened to him, that we can only imagine. Never could get a straight answer. As far as taking it to their “Member Services” department, they quickly refused to take my call about our concerns. Are they covering something up? YOU BET!!! Now 5 years later, I am desparately trying to get some help with my seriously ill husband. We’ve run into a brick wall with Kaiser once again. Kaiser is in the business of big profits while killing patients and covering up. Anybody else out there have any Kaiser horror stories? I’ll bet you do.
Abbe Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I’ve been with Kaiser for close to 20 years, and have had excellent care for me and my family. After surgery to repair a tendon in my wrist, K sent me to an outside physical therapy clinic that specialized in hands. They changed a policy about using repetitive joint flexing machines (can’t remember the name) because of my situation, and they did so without my request or other involvement. Had a fabulous pediatrician for my kids and I’m really happy with my primary care doc.
Joyce Carroll Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
My conclusion about this company is if you are not ill, it will probably work if you can deal with the incompetency of the support staff.

If you are ill with two incurable diseases, as I am, the doctors I have met really don’t know how to deal with the complications; this is best left to learning institutions where a professor of medicine will treat your disease.
John Starrett Says:
June 16th, 2007 at 10:37 am
I have had Kaiser Colorado for years, and have been very happy with it. I have not had any truly life threatening diseases or accidents, but the several minor surgeries and physical therapy I have had with them have been handled very well.
Anon Imus Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 2:22 am
I’ve had Kaiser for 25 years in Oakland and San Fancisco. The care is quite decent. Patients can get excellent care at Kaiser if they do their own research and are assertive about what they want. For example, I would have had an episiotomy and C-section had I not insisted on patient vitamin E oil massage (to avoid needing the cut) and squatting (to push a vaginal delivery.)
I hope they’ve changed their horribly inhumane newborn circumcisions.Usually parents are not allowed in the room and don’t know what goes on. (Torture!)

When my teen ager’s bone was broken, the ER misdiagnosed it as a minor injury and we had to wait for hours in agony without that limb supported. To be fair, it just didn’t show on the x-ray, but only on an MRI. The x-ray techie did not offer a protective lead apron or lead collar, even tho they were right there within reach. You have to know enough to ask for them (to protect against unecessary radiation.)

The surgeon was excellent. Providers in general are competent and caring.
Stacey Mahoney Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 9:27 am
I have been a Kaiser patient since about four years of age. I am now 37. My brother has had two Open Heart surgeries through Kaiser all payed in full and at UCSF one of the most reputable Heart hospitals in the SF Bay Area. I have given birth to three children at Kaiser in Walnut Creek CA. They offer excellent birth and child rearing education classes and encourage natural birth.They have lactation consultants on hand for help with breast feeding and are one of the few hospitals in this country to teach and encourage breastfeeding. My girlfriends who have given birth at private hospitals were given unnecessary c-sections, at the convenience of the doctor. My children have had the same pediatrician for 11 years. He calls us at home. Kaiser now has an option where you can email your doctor directly. They are required to respond to your email in forty eight hours. Patients need to be their own advocates, but Kaiser gives ample opportunity to receive excellent care.
ilona pacek Says:
June 18th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
while the front desk employees leave a bad taste in my mouth - Kaiser at Sunset in Los Angeles - i have nothing but praise for the doctors and nurses who performed and assisted with my foot surgery. they were all professional and caring - understanding and being patient with my general fear of hospitals. the care was above par.
Jacquelyn Finney Says:
June 20th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Michael Moore spotlights “truthiness” in American medicine. He shatters Kaiser’s corporate hype. Kaiser’s patients do not “THRIVE.” The HMO wasted $120+ million on its “THRIVE” ad campaign instead of spending the money on patients. “DEATH BY THRIVIDE” killed Kaiser’s kidney transplant patients. Visit www.hmohardball.com to view documentation that supports Michael Moore.
Mary Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I have had Kasier for 10 years and have had very satisfactory care. For the most part, the staff is polite, caring and does a good job. I have mulitple health issues and find the MDs/techs are briefed on my history and do a good job of listening to me and testing where indicated. I have never felt “short changed” or not treated in a very comprehensive manner. I know they are not perfect, but I have been very happy wiht the care.
Adrienne Easton Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
I had an ironic thought while watching the preview…I am very healthy, probably more healthy than most of my friends and family. Probably top 5% for my age. However, I have been turned down for normal insurance by blue cross because of a false pre-existing condition that Kaiser gave me without telling me, about 9 years ago. They told me that nothing was wrong with me, that my back problems (that lasted 3 years) were just in my head, that I was just getting old (at 22 years-old), that I was young and just needed to wait it out. They gave me drugs that made me worse, they sent me to a physical therapist (which is why I was slapped with the false pre-existing condition, so they could justify sending me) which was a joke and which succeeded in making me afraid to move. They would only authorize tests to look for serious conditions they could be sued for, and then they tried to give me antidepressants when nine months later I started to cry in a new doctor’s office when he entered the room yelling at me for having switched doctor’s 4 times. (the condensed version of my Kaiser saga…)

I was very angry at these doctors and Kaiser for years afterwards, but at this point I have come to understand that they were just doing what they could with the system that they had to function in. And they often act out of fear of being sued rather than a desire to heal people, again, because of the system. I am also very glad I had these experiences because it made give up on western medicine for many years and explore other systems of healing. Since than I have used various things such as acupuncture, ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, Reiki, massage, Network Chiropractic, and NIA to rid myself of back problems, fybromyalgia-type symptoms, indoor allergies, chemical sensitivity, hypoglycemia, knee pain, fibrous breasts, mild internal bleeding, tendonitis, and hormonal imbalance, not to mention colds, coughs, canker sores, sore throats, and pink eye. Literally all western medicine has ever “cured” me of is myopia (lasik), a fractured elbow and strep throat. I am not saying that to complain but to point out that there are many things that western medicine doesn’t know but they like to pretend that they do and that no one else does, which I find closed-minded, irresponsible, and harmful. 6 years ago when I told my western docter that I had gotten rid of my indoor allergies in three months with Ayurveda, after having them for three years, she got very stern, gave me a form letter telling me how dangerous herbs are, and told me that I am taking my life in my hands by doing things that are not FDA approved. Great! I’m glad I took my life in my hands! If I hadn’t, and had continued to solely rely on western medicine, and believed their slandering of anything that wasn’t from them, then I would be on motrin, muscle relaxers, antidepressants, flonaze, clariton, and prednizone, at least.

Now after taking charge of my own health with occasional aid from different sytems of medicine (including VERY occasionally western, but NOT Kaiser), I am at 31 healthier than I ever have been, healthier than most of the people around me, if a problem comes up I figure out how to fix it and I fix it, I rarely use my insurance through my current job, and yet I can’t qualify for normal insurance if I were to need to apply again.
Pat Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
I think Kaiser is a joke! They told me on two different visits that I was pregnant. I responded to them I don’t see how. They said that my test confirmed that I was indeed pregnant. I said ok but I thought I needed a good lawyer they couldn’t figure out why. I finally told them to look in my medical chart they would find that I had a hysterectomy in 1982. This was in 2004. Duh can’t get pregnant!
Nell Bartusch Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
For emergencies, Kaiser is tops. When my mom became very ill with COPD and congestive heart failure, she was taken care of immeditely and with great care. And when she became so demented she could no longer care for herself and required a nursing home, we worked together and had her placed within one week.

However, when I ruptured a disc several years ago, it was about 2 months before I saw a specialist. His care recommendations: Continue with what you’re doing and don’t go to a chiropractor. I was in awful pain for almost 5 months. Again, about 2 years ago, I hurt my back (much less severely). I was told the first available physical therapy appointment wouldn’t be for about 2 months. I said to hell with it, and went to a chiropractor. Within a couple of days, I felt better. I continue to go every other week, and I no longer seem to get ill. Unfortunately, my employer still pays Kaiser about 30% of my salary every month even though I haven’t seen a doc in over a year.

Conclusion: If you are extremely ill, Kaiser is great. If you are just in pain, their care is awful.
Cindy Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 11:35 am
I have been a Kaiser member for many years and have never received ineffective care from any of the medical staff. I have raised two children through Kaiser and now that they are adults, they continue to cover themselves through Kaiser Permanente even though they have other options at their places of employment.
The doctors are caring and well educated. The technology continues to keep pace with the outside community or in some instances surpace it. The new electronic medical record system they have implemented will set the standard for the rest of the health care systems both in the US and abroad.
S. Munzel Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
My family and I have enjoyed excellent care at the Santa Clara Kaiser hospital for over twenty years. Both of our children were born there.

When my brother-in-law was dying of a rare cancer, the Kaiser intensive care unit staff rallied around him and got him well enough to be discharged. Months later when his care became palliative Kaiser staffers visited him in his home.

My daughter had a thyroid lobectomy last week that thankfully proved to be benign and her care was superb. The follow up was wonderful. Her surgeon privately told us that he had already reserved an operating room on Monday morning just in case the final pathology report came back malignant. Thank the Lord his forethought was not needed.

I suspect that the bad stories I hear about Kaiser would have happened to these people regardless of where they went for treatment.
Lutz Hoffman Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
My family has so far recieved excellent care from kaiser here in Hawaii, the mainland may be different. I think they have one advantage in that the Kaiser Physicians are part of a seperate entity from the insurance part. Thus MD’s cannot be pressured to deny tests, procedures etc. My one concern which applies to ALL US healthcare providers is that to many tests are ordered for “legal reasons” and may be medicaly not nesessary. Lets include a major parasite in health care: “The Legal Profession”
Jocelyn Wilson Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Kaiser has it’s ups and downs. They were great for my mother when she was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. My mother was an active 94 year old who swam 20 laps everyday. Given the chance to have the “Wipple” procedure (which is a cute name for a scary operation) to remove the tumor, she said YES! . They moved heaven and earth to take care of her. The surgeon was excellent and her Internist was wonderful too. She was in the hospital for 3 weeks and then a week at “Hospital Lite”. She came back and stayed with me after that. She rallied and was doing quite well just a month or two after the surgery. But almost 5 months later, she began to have terrible GI issues and suddenly, began to go downhill. She passed away, three weeks before her 95th birthday due to complications from the surgery. The point is, they really tried like hell to get her through it.
That said, the trick with Kaiser is to have a good provider. My husband and I also have Kaiser, but it’s like a PPO plan and we can see other doctors outside of the group. We have larger co-pays, but basically the same service. Last year I had a horseback-riding accident. My horse fell in a hole on on a trail, I was launched over his head. Then he ran over me trying to get out of the hole hitting me a couple of times on the top of my head with his hooves. In the process my leg was impaled on a branch or stick. It turned out the head injury was pretty minor (though I bled a lot and had stitches) but I was hauled out to a nearby hospital by ambulance (not Kaiser) treated and released that night. But the leg wound became a problem. It was a very deep, five inch, puncture wound. I was getting follow-ups at Kaiser, but no one seemed to pay much attention to the deep, 5″ long hole in my leg. When you are assigned a provider by Kaiser, they might be an internist or a pediatrician. The are few GP’s available on staff. MY provider (unbeknownst to me) had left Kaiser a week before my accident. So they had to assign me a new one on the fly. She was an internist and while very nice, she was not real savvy when it came to wounds. I have seen a total of 9 different doctors during the course of my treatment. Some were better than others.
After 6 weeks, when it hadn’t healed, my provider finally took a wound culture and sent me to the surgery clinic to see a very competent wound nurse. It turned out I had a raging yeast and strep infection that required debridement to remove the necrotic tissue and daily dressing changes. For a couple of weeks I had to endure very painful packing to keep the wound open and draining. Toward the end I acquired an MRSA iinfection in the wound site (which I probably got at Kaiser) and I now have a big dent there that will never fill in. Finally, after 4 months, I got an appointment with a fantastic infectious disease doctor. He was able to sort everything out and finally, I got over the Staph infection that had settled in.
The bottom line, Kaiser is a pretty good solution if you have the right doctors. But you have to be completely on top of things to get them.
Ellen Rigsby Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 12:46 am
I’ve had Kaiser since the fall of 2000, and my husband and daughter are covered by Kaiser on his plan. We my husband and I had excellent preventive care and superlative obgyn and delivery. I was in active labor for 26 hours with my daughter, and gave birth naturally with no drugs (according to my birth plan–and under no pressure to change it), despite the long time in the delivery room. Several friends I know have had harder times getting proper dianoses and any treatments not “required” like physical therapy, but our experience has been totally positive.
Nancy Lawlor Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 2:22 am
My experience was actually very good with Kaiser. Maybe I just got lucky and got a great doctor. I am overweight and spent years going to various doctors regarding my burping up acid on a daily basis. My life was miserable. Every doctor that I had gone to had told me that it was because of my weight and/or diet. Then my company got Kaiser as my medical insurance so I went and they immediately ordered and did an upper GI and found that I had a hernia. Years of pain and in one visit this HMO turned my life around!
Johnboy Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Kaiser has been my HMO through two different jobs, and I have no complaints about them. I’ve only gone in on minor issues, and pretty much the only thing I can think of that might have been a problem was a really bad case of piles that ruptured, but that might either have been the treatment or just a BAD case of piles. Anyway, I travel to Third World locations frequently, and find the service I get on sometimes exotic vaccinations to be good. They could argue with me about a few of these shots I want, since the doctors never actually recommend them, but they don’t.
Sunni Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
My father was visiting Canada when he suffered a serious stroke. He was in a Canadian hospital for about 3 weeks. A year and a half later Kaiser still has not paid for his medical bills in Canada. They claim they need the hospital’s US Tax ID number to process the claim! What kind of BS is that?!
N.O. Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
I had a patient come to our chiropractic office last year for excruciating back pain. Her primary doc at Kaiser had prescribed her muscle relaxants and pain killers and sent her home. She couldn’t take the drugs for very long because they made her drowsy and impaired her job. When she came to me and I saw her shaky hand writing, I knew something else was going on. Upon examination she had a stooped posture, difficulty walking, and tremors. I referred her out to a neurologist and he diagnosed her with severe progressive MS. The back pain she was having was just a part of the disease.
Thomas Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
I was a volunteer fire fighter - EMT for 21 years. I rescued people and brought them to the hospital for treatment. I don’t have health insurance. If I have my own emergency, I’m not covered. I tried to get a health plan through Kaiser-permanente, but I was told because I have Tinitus, they could not offer me an affordable health plan. I have Tinitus, a ringing in the ear I developed after being exposed to the loud sirens and air horns without ear protection. Worker’s Compensation pays for anything that’s related to the Tinitus, so it would not cost the insurance company anything. However, they insist they can’t offer me a policy because this is a pre existing condition.
Damon Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 10:35 am
About 6 years ago my parents were on Kaiser through my fathers job. I was already off their insurance at this point but I have a younger brother and sister that were covered by my dads insurance. My brother took a spill off his bike and ended up fracturing his skull. Off to the emergency room my mom went. The hospital did their part and made my brother and mom as comfortable as possible. He had a mild concusion which was obvious but the hospital called the Kaiser Center my parent went to for medical treatment. Monday moring at 8am, Kaiser called my mother gave her the location of the a neurologist that specialized in pediatrics and had already scheduled an appointment for them at 10am that same morning. When I had to oppurtunity to choose Kaiser as my provider I jumped at the chance and have had nothing but good experiences with them.
Doris Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
I’ve had Kaiser coverage on and off for almost 30 years. Sometimes, the long wait to speak with someone on the phone is an annoyance, the lack of Chiropractic saddens me, but overall I like my coverage and the service it provides.
Anon Says:
June 29th, 2007 at 3:27 am
Where to start. I have worked for KP in Sacramento, CA for 9 years. My most recent assignment is the Qualtiy Management department. All I have to say is that all your Member Services complaints are treated as breakroom jokes. Claims of delay DX or missed Dx are swept under the rug to save MDs (kaiser shareholders) and the Credentialing and Priviledging department from Jhaco / DHS surveyors. Kaiser does have “some” good docs…but generally the organizations is a corrupt for profit corporation. There goal is to minimize hospital stays and to delay treatment. See a kaiser doc for a generalized pain…u’ll get the “take motrin or vicodin for a week and let me know if it still hurts”…That is the truth.
Joe Says:
June 30th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Kaiser has been mu HMO for nearly thirty years. The average of times that I go to see my doctor is about 1.5 a year. Just two weeks ago I got real sick with a virus that is going around, I tried to see any doctor about this, the reason I say any doctor is because I am not assigned to a particular doctor like everyone else. I changed doctors a few years ago because my doctor of years was never available for my annual physical, when I tried to change back to him he would not accept me, and the new doctor that KP assigned to me got real upset with having to take me as a new patient, I recall him saying ” it was unfair to him that he had to see me as a new patient”. So since then I have no doctor. Anyway, after I called Kaiser a couple of weeks ago, they tried so hard over the phone to tell me that I would be fine and to see a doctor for my fever, cough, sore throat, etc. was not necessary, just drink plenty of liquids. I think Kaiser is more of a business than an HMO, is ran by business people, not real doctors. Their main purpose for being around is for the money. Three visits every two years for $495.00 a month is a lot of money. I think that at least I deserve my own doctor, more proffessional people on the other side of the line, and doctors that would spend more than 120 seconds with a patient a visit.
Elayne Isaacs Says:
July 1st, 2007 at 6:01 pm
My sister had two courses of successful breast cancer therapy, my 29 year old son had state of the art treatment for his Hodgkins lymphoma and is now in complete remission, I have had two knee replacement surgeries and this week the same sister had a bilateral double knee replacemnt surgery. No one in my family has ever been denied necessary treatment and we have never had to pay more than a $25 copay. If we had national healthcare it would look like Kaiser which, by the way emphasises prevention.
Anthony Russell, MD MPH Says:
July 1st, 2007 at 8:01 pm
I am a physician with a public health degree to boot and I am proud to say that I have been a Kaiser Pediatrician for the past 2 years; for I have had more freedom in caring for my patients as a Kaiser doctor than a non-Kaiser physician (in ordering the appropriate tests and medications for my patients) without having to get authorization. If I think an appointment with Neurology is indicated I easily submit a consult by hitting a few buttons on the computer and ask my patient which day of the week works best for them; and they usually leave with an appointment.

And yes, we do encourage our patients to THRIVE; we even take phone calls and emails during our busy days - at no extra pay – in order to address our patient’s daily health concerns and problems.

Most people do not comprehend how large the Kaiser system is - with around 13,000 doctors; and on this web-page it seems that there are a lot of complaints about how each person was treated by their physician opposed to the Kaiser system in general. Given the work that doctors do every day in dealing with life & death situations, there are bound to be bad outcomes and unhappy people at times in all sectors of health care. Even though Kaiser is a somewhat closed system; members (patients) still have the option to change their physician if they feel so inclined.

With regard to “Sicko”, Michael Moore’s new movie. I found the portrayal of the young child’s death reprehensible, for in medicine we take an oath to care for the sick. When the young child went into the Non-Kaiser emergency room, she should of received top-notch health care. Any sick patient who comes into a Kaiser ER would receive the best care (insurance or not) and then be referred back to there appropriate health care provider once stable. However, it is unfortunate that Moore slanted this story to be against the Kaiser system, for Kaiser has one of the best outside-hospital physician reimbursement rates than any insurance company that I know; and this would have been covered after the child received the appropriate care. It is quite unfortunate that the child was refused emergency care at an emergency hospital in this great country of ours.

The story about dropping off the homeless woman at the shelter was quite sad as well. This was a bad decision by the physician, and Kaiser has paid a significant fine for this and has implemented new guidelines against this practice and has funded many community projects that help the homeless with health care and after hospital care.

I must admit I did like the movie Sicko, for it shows the disparity and negative stigma that many Conservative Republicans place on healthcare reform & universal healthcare. Worth noting, Kaiser is in favor of reforming healthcare in this country in many similar ways that Moore alluded to in this movie.

Just a note, I am speaking for myself in these comments and not for any part of Kaiser; and I am definitely not getting paid for this. These are just my opinions as to how I see things. Kaiser docs work on a Salary and the departments get bonuses which they pass down to docs for exceeding health care standards. We do not get penalized for ordering too many tests, consults, or prescribing expensive off formulary medications. I get to provide the best care for my patients.

While obtaining my Public Health degree years ago from Johns Hopkins I heard many positive comments about the Kaiser system, and how it could be the future model of health care for the nation. I was very skeptical in joining an HMO, but thank God I did; for I can practice medicine the way I want to practice.

It is a great model of health care, for it is a non-profit organization that places the gains back into helping its members thrive, the community advance, fund health care research, and help reform health care in this country. It is not perfect, but I have to say it is the best we have thus far. Someday we will wake up from our daze and emulate the French, Canadians, & Brits national health care systems. Hillary may help foster this change, given her experience in this area; but until then, Kaiser is the way to go.

Again, just in case you missed it; I am a proud Kaiser Pediatrician.
sam Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:10 pm
I grew up in Canada with 45 years of no problem health care, and never even gave it a second thought . except for my motor cycle accident that put me in the hospital for 3 operations, no fun… I moved to California 6 years ago. I got kaiser insurance from employer, and had a minor wrist injury at work that needed immediate attention. Kaiser gave me a wrist brace, a couple of pain killers and told me to come back in a week, instead of what I needed. I paid a private medical practioner to get the care I needed.
I still see my ex-Californian doctor when I go to Vancouver, BC. He was not allowed to continue practising in California, by the AMA, because he was healing people.
Marty Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 8:11 pm
I have had Kaiser in Santa Rosa, CA for about 5 years and have been very happy with it. when I needed arthroscopic knee surgery, I got it for a $10 copayment. I can always get in and get easily referred to specialists, lab tests, pretty much whatever I ask for. You do need to be an educated self-advocate though as with any health plan. The rates have gone up quite a bit and now I pay a $25 copay which I am not happy about, but I think the rates are still better than other health plans. As a self-employed 62 year old woman, I pay almost $500/month which I think is pretty outrageous.
Trisha Oday Says:
July 5th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
In all fairness to Kaiser, I received excellent care when I needed it on two occasions. One in Northern California when I broke my wrist, there was an excellent orthepedic surgeon on staff, followup was excelent and physical therapy was outstanding.

Second incident in 1998 broke my ankle–shatterd it badly and in Los Angeles, the Orthopedic surgeon did an outstanding job. No extended waiting on any followup visit and it’s now been 10 years, and no pain or discomfort, it feels like I never had surgery.

So, Kaiser can be an excellent facility.

that said, my complaint was they keep raising their premiums to where it costs almost $500/month now

SiCKO - The Official Site - In Theaters June 29th

Kaiser Permanente ( )

43 Comments

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Rate Your Insurance Provider

Share With

Links