Switching to Kaiser insurance, need feedback

[Anonymous]

We are thinking of switching from Cigna to Kaiser. This is offered through my job.
Any feedback from people with Kaiser insurance? would you recommend?
We live in DC but closer to silver spring? can we go to any Kaiser location?
How does it work in case of emergency? can u go to any hospital?

[Anonymous]

Neglect and in competence is what first comes to mind about Kaiser. While I have never used Kaiser myself (also offered through my job), one of my siblings did for years. I was in the hospital room multiple times when my sibling was in the hospital and spoke to Kaiser doctors on many occasions. My sibling passed away and I believe if he was under the care of different doctors over the years, things would not have happened the way they did. I also have a friend whose family uses Kaiser. Friends husband went to the doctors at Kaiser for several months for stomach pain. Well, they missed colon cancer. That wasn’t discovered until 3 months after he first went in with stomach issues. Three months. He passed away as well.

While I’m sure there are people out there who have had positive experiences, I would never choose Kaiser for myself or my family. I would always pick the other option (which will be more expensive).

[Anonymous]

You can go to any Kaiser location.

In case of emergency if you're far away from a Kaiser hospital (like on vacation) you can go to any hospital and Kaiser will reimburse. In case of a local emergency, you call the Kaiser nurse and they usually send you to Kaiser urgent care. Their urgent care is very well equipped. The limitations are frustrating, but at least everything is covered and there's never any surprise bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Neglect and in competence is what first comes to mind about Kaiser. While I have never used Kaiser myself (also offered through my job), one of my siblings did for years. I was in the hospital room multiple times when my sibling was in the hospital and spoke to Kaiser doctors on many occasions. My sibling passed away and I believe if he was under the care of different doctors over the years, things would not have happened the way they did. I also have a friend whose family uses Kaiser. Friends husband went to the doctors at Kaiser for several months for stomach pain. Well, they missed colon cancer. That wasn’t discovered until 3 months after he first went in with stomach issues. Three months. He passed away as well.

While I’m sure there are people out there who have had positive experiences, I would never choose Kaiser for myself or my family. I would always pick the other option (which will be more expensive).

I am no big fan of Kaiser but that's overly harsh criticism. People with other insurances die too you know and it's not always doctors' fault.

[Anonymous]

We've had great experiences with Kaiser. The Capitol Hill location is really nice. We were really worried about delayed speech at our DDs 3.yo appointment. The ped referred her to an ENT for a full hearing exam. We walked upstairs and had a full hearing screening within an hour.

We've have also had great experience with their urgent care. As one example, we had a sick 3 yo and showed up at 3 AM. They examined her, did a chest x ray, gave us meds for pneumonia, and we were home again in bed again within an hour. Really remarkable.

[Anonymous]

I have had Kaiser my whole life and really, really like it. I think it is the (near) future of health care - it makes so much more sense than the patchwork system most other insurers provide. No bills to deal with; online medical records at your fingertips; you can email doctors; fill prescriptions online. Doctors are salaried rather than being paid by the procedure/patient (so no incentive structure to overbill/overmedicate). All the doctors I've dealt with have been very good. My mom was number one in her medical school class (UCSD) and she works for Kaiser - she says they get their pick of doctors b/c doctors like working there/want to work there b/c pay is good/solid and doctors don't have to deal with insurance/billing/churning patients and procedures to generate business/income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have had Kaiser my whole life and really, really like it. I think it is the (near) future of health care - it makes so much more sense than the patchwork system most other insurers provide. No bills to deal with; online medical records at your fingertips; you can email doctors; fill prescriptions online. Doctors are salaried rather than being paid by the procedure/patient (so no incentive structure to overbill/overmedicate). All the doctors I've dealt with have been very good. My mom was number one in her medical school class (UCSD) and she works for Kaiser - she says they get their pick of doctors b/c doctors like working there/want to work there b/c pay is good/solid and doctors don't have to deal with insurance/billing/churning patients and procedures to generate business/income.[/quote]

I agree with this. Also doctors come to Kaiser for the quality of life. They work set hours. I saw 3 doctors last year who were pregnant. They said they took jobs with Kaiser because it would allow them to have families more easily and be home at night with kids.

[Anonymous]

Kaiser is good if you are a squeaky wheel and relentless. It might take months to see a specialist but if you are willing to call everyday and ask if there are cancellations then you get in sooner. If the doctor realizes you are well educated and outspoken you get better treatment. If you go along without questioning you will have really long wait times to see doctors and then with the doctor the visit might be rushed. They need patients to be in and out quickly for their model to work.

[Anonymous]

We have had Kaiser for over a decade. Like any other practice out there, there is your fair share of not so stellar doctors but there are also amazing and very caring ones. This is really no different whether you have Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield or any other insurance. The only inconvenience might be you would have to drives a little longer to get to your doctor of choice, but there are many many excellent physicians near us. Some are even better than those we have seen at KKI or DC Children Hospital. So get recommendations and read reviews as needed. The convenience of Kaiser is that all your doctors have your profile so it makes diagnosing and keeping track of issues so so much easier. You don't have to carry around CDs or refill out sheets of paper of your medicine. Their online website also has charts of all your tests so you can compare results easily. Additionally, it is so convenient to email your doctors with a quick question here and there.

[Anonymous]

I've had it for over 10 years + 2 pregnancy/births and have been very happy with it. It's just so easy. For full disclosure, I have not had any complicated medical issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kaiser is good if you are a squeaky wheel and relentless. It might take months to see a specialist but if you are willing to call everyday and ask if there are cancellations then you get in sooner. If the doctor realizes you are well educated and outspoken you get better treatment. If you go along without questioning you will have really long wait times to see doctors and then with the doctor the visit might be rushed. They need patients to be in and out quickly for their model to work.

This hasn't been our experience at all. We've been referred to specialists very quickly, often getting in on the same day as the referral. For instance, my husband was having issues with his elbow. Went to his dr and got referred to an orthopedist. He saw the orthopedist 45 minutes later, got an x ray, and had a follow up with the orthopedist immediately. He walked out three hours later with a full treatment plan.

We have never had a rushed visit with Kaiser. At my 3 yo's well visit she was scared and didn't want to cooperate, so the ped took the time to read my daughter a book so she would be comfortable. No rush. Lots of time to get to know the doctor and for the doctor to get to know our kids. Really wonderful.

[Anonymous]

We've had Kaiser for maybe 12 years now and have been very happy with it, overall. We have an office within 10 minutes where my daughter's ped is located, and a larger more comprehensive office maybe 30 minutes away. She has a mild chronic condition that requires occasional specialist care - for that we've gone as far as Silver Spring or Springfield. They were great for prenatal care, great for labor/delivery (though you may not get "your" doctor on game day) and great for child well and sick visits. They're great for lab work, prescriptions and flu shots. I have a couple of minor chronic conditions now and they've been good with those.

We had one emergency room visit in that 12 years, and went to the closest hospital at 4:00 a.m. There was a copay I could have done without, but it was still pretty seamless and easy overall.

[Anonymous]

12:58 here - the only specialist we've ever had trouble seeing was a dermatologist. I'd like to see one, and I keep getting put off from scheduling. (I'd like to do a baseline mole check.) But I have never been a squeaky wheel about it either. Other specialist care for me and my daughter has been painless.

[Anonymous]

I had kaiser for years and recently lost it with a job change. I considered rejecting employer insurance and paying out of pocket just to keep Kaiser. I love Kaiser. All your information is available to every doctor, at every facility. All my doctors were very responsive via email and had no problems setting up tests and referrals as I requested. My kids had a great experience with the pediatricians there. I went through 3 pregnancies there and various big and small medical issues. I really hope that my next job offers Kaiser again.

The one thing that I find better with United Health is the PT and chiropractor benefits are easier to access. Kaiser tents to treat that stuff as non-medical and it’s harder to use benefits there.

[Anonymous]

I've had Kaiser for 25 years, but am now switching to Blue Cross. I am having more serious issues as i get older, and I am finding it difficult to see a specialist: 3 month wait for a dermatologist, 6 weeks wait to see orthopedist, 2 month wait to see rheumatologist. (These are for current/ongoing/continuing conditions.) Plus many specialists are not at "my" Kaiser center and I need to travel some distance to see the doc. That is too much time off work for me for a doc appmt. I have called derm and orthopod practices near my work and home that will take my future BC insurance and as a new patient I will have to wait only about 3 weeks. I will start with BC in January. The price is the same via my employer for either Kaiser or BC.