Anonymous
01/26/2014 01:12
Subject: Re:Help me choose a health plan
I have had both kaiser and Aetna too and agree with the pp.
kaiser is so much easier to deal with since you don't have to deal with any billing issues.
I like it that I can call one number and make all our appointments together since everything is in one building. We can see the ped, my gynecologist and the eye doctor all in one day and pick up any prescriptions as well. totally convenient which is the number one priority for us.
Sure there are more doctors with Aetna but as the pp said, it was too much of a pain to have to find them yourself. It takes many calls to do that. With kaiser, it is one call.
kaiser is so much easier to deal with since you don't have to deal with any billing issues.
I like it that I can call one number and make all our appointments together since everything is in one building. We can see the ped, my gynecologist and the eye doctor all in one day and pick up any prescriptions as well. totally convenient which is the number one priority for us.
Sure there are more doctors with Aetna but as the pp said, it was too much of a pain to have to find them yourself. It takes many calls to do that. With kaiser, it is one call.
Anonymous
01/25/2014 23:59
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
OP Here- Thanks for sharing this. So would you say your experience with Kaiser is better overall than Aetna?
No. Just different. I have had much more choice of doctors on Aetna and I was able to find doctors I like that are near my office so that is more convenient. I also have a child who needed psychological counseling and that was much better through Aetna than Kaiser (bigger choice of providers). With Kaiser you have to go to a Kaiser Center which is less convenient for me, but I like the fact that doctors are available at night and on weekend. There are plusses and minuses to both. It depends on what is important to you.
Thanks. I usually don't see a lot of doctors. I stick to one unless they are extremely bad. I mainly see my Drs just for annuals, the only Dr we see often is the pediatrician, so if Kaiser has lots of good pediatricians then we would be fine.
Anonymous
01/25/2014 23:37
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
Anonymous wrote:
OP Here- Thanks for sharing this. So would you say your experience with Kaiser is better overall than Aetna?
No. Just different. I have had much more choice of doctors on Aetna and I was able to find doctors I like that are near my office so that is more convenient. I also have a child who needed psychological counseling and that was much better through Aetna than Kaiser (bigger choice of providers). With Kaiser you have to go to a Kaiser Center which is less convenient for me, but I like the fact that doctors are available at night and on weekend. There are plusses and minuses to both. It depends on what is important to you.
Anonymous
01/25/2014 22:27
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
Anonymous wrote:I have been on both AETNA and Kaiser.
Aetna plusses: Almost unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals, but good luck finding doctors in the Washington area who are accepting new patients and who will see you without a six month wait. I have a friend who wants to change from Kaiser to Aetna but she has a lot of health issues and she has been unable to find specialists who accept Aetna and who are willing to see her. Fortunately I have been on Aetna for a while so I already have doctors who are willing to see me.
Aetna minuses: I had surgery last year and they denied the payment to the anesthesiologist! I called them up and they said it was a mistake (they didn't really think I should get cut up with no anesthesia), but they didn't fix it. After half a dozen frustrating calls with Aetna (including getting bounced all over by their phone system) I turned to HR in my office since I got the Aetna policy through work. After another half a dozen calls from my office HR representative to Aetna, I think this is fixed but I am still not 100 percent certain. At least the anesthesiologist's office was nice about this and didn't send my bill to a collection agency. The Aetna bureaucracy is awful.
Kaiser plusses: Everything is in one place. They have urgent care clinics that are easy to get into on nights and weekend. They have nurses who are easy to access on the phone for advice when you have a sick child screaming at 2 in the morning. They are the insurance so you don't have to sorry about these bill mess ups. I just paid one co-payment for everything and that was that. I found a good personal doctor, a good gynecologist, and a good pediatrician on Kaiser that I liked and trusted.
Kaiser minuses: Limited selection of doctors and hospitals. Kaiser will refer to outside specialists if they cannot handle something in house, but generally all care is handled by Kaiser doctors. This is particularly an issue if anyone on your insurance policy needs psychological counseling and you need to find a counselor to whom the person can relate. Less personal: My second child was delivered by the Kaiser doctor who happened to be on call that night. He was from a different Kaiser center than I normally went to and I had never met him before. Fortunately I liked him. Bureaucracy: When my second child was born they wanted to give her a different pediatrician from the pediatrician my first child had because they told me that pediatrician was all filled up and not taking new patients. I refused to have two children with two different pediatricians. I eventually won that battle. It was an easier fight than getting Aetna to pay the anesthesiologist for my surgery.
My experience with Kaiser was from 15 years ago so it is possible that things have changed. However, if it wasn't for the fact that I travel a lot and therefore I need very flexible coverage I would consider going back on Kaiser after my latest billing battle with Aetna. As I tried to indicate above, each insurance has its good points and bad points.
OP Here- Thanks for sharing this. So would you say your experience with Kaiser is better overall than Aetna?
Anonymous
01/25/2014 17:01
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
I have been on both AETNA and Kaiser.
Aetna plusses: Almost unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals, but good luck finding doctors in the Washington area who are accepting new patients and who will see you without a six month wait. I have a friend who wants to change from Kaiser to Aetna but she has a lot of health issues and she has been unable to find specialists who accept Aetna and who are willing to see her. Fortunately I have been on Aetna for a while so I already have doctors who are willing to see me.
Aetna minuses: I had surgery last year and they denied the payment to the anesthesiologist! I called them up and they said it was a mistake (they didn't really think I should get cut up with no anesthesia), but they didn't fix it. After half a dozen frustrating calls with Aetna (including getting bounced all over by their phone system) I turned to HR in my office since I got the Aetna policy through work. After another half a dozen calls from my office HR representative to Aetna, I think this is fixed but I am still not 100 percent certain. At least the anesthesiologist's office was nice about this and didn't send my bill to a collection agency. The Aetna bureaucracy is awful.
Kaiser plusses: Everything is in one place. They have urgent care clinics that are easy to get into on nights and weekend. They have nurses who are easy to access on the phone for advice when you have a sick child screaming at 2 in the morning. They are the insurance so you don't have to sorry about these bill mess ups. I just paid one co-payment for everything and that was that. I found a good personal doctor, a good gynecologist, and a good pediatrician on Kaiser that I liked and trusted.
Kaiser minuses: Limited selection of doctors and hospitals. Kaiser will refer to outside specialists if they cannot handle something in house, but generally all care is handled by Kaiser doctors. This is particularly an issue if anyone on your insurance policy needs psychological counseling and you need to find a counselor to whom the person can relate. Less personal: My second child was delivered by the Kaiser doctor who happened to be on call that night. He was from a different Kaiser center than I normally went to and I had never met him before. Fortunately I liked him. Bureaucracy: When my second child was born they wanted to give her a different pediatrician from the pediatrician my first child had because they told me that pediatrician was all filled up and not taking new patients. I refused to have two children with two different pediatricians. I eventually won that battle. It was an easier fight than getting Aetna to pay the anesthesiologist for my surgery.
My experience with Kaiser was from 15 years ago so it is possible that things have changed. However, if it wasn't for the fact that I travel a lot and therefore I need very flexible coverage I would consider going back on Kaiser after my latest billing battle with Aetna. As I tried to indicate above, each insurance has its good points and bad points.
Aetna plusses: Almost unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals, but good luck finding doctors in the Washington area who are accepting new patients and who will see you without a six month wait. I have a friend who wants to change from Kaiser to Aetna but she has a lot of health issues and she has been unable to find specialists who accept Aetna and who are willing to see her. Fortunately I have been on Aetna for a while so I already have doctors who are willing to see me.
Aetna minuses: I had surgery last year and they denied the payment to the anesthesiologist! I called them up and they said it was a mistake (they didn't really think I should get cut up with no anesthesia), but they didn't fix it. After half a dozen frustrating calls with Aetna (including getting bounced all over by their phone system) I turned to HR in my office since I got the Aetna policy through work. After another half a dozen calls from my office HR representative to Aetna, I think this is fixed but I am still not 100 percent certain. At least the anesthesiologist's office was nice about this and didn't send my bill to a collection agency. The Aetna bureaucracy is awful.
Kaiser plusses: Everything is in one place. They have urgent care clinics that are easy to get into on nights and weekend. They have nurses who are easy to access on the phone for advice when you have a sick child screaming at 2 in the morning. They are the insurance so you don't have to sorry about these bill mess ups. I just paid one co-payment for everything and that was that. I found a good personal doctor, a good gynecologist, and a good pediatrician on Kaiser that I liked and trusted.
Kaiser minuses: Limited selection of doctors and hospitals. Kaiser will refer to outside specialists if they cannot handle something in house, but generally all care is handled by Kaiser doctors. This is particularly an issue if anyone on your insurance policy needs psychological counseling and you need to find a counselor to whom the person can relate. Less personal: My second child was delivered by the Kaiser doctor who happened to be on call that night. He was from a different Kaiser center than I normally went to and I had never met him before. Fortunately I liked him. Bureaucracy: When my second child was born they wanted to give her a different pediatrician from the pediatrician my first child had because they told me that pediatrician was all filled up and not taking new patients. I refused to have two children with two different pediatricians. I eventually won that battle. It was an easier fight than getting Aetna to pay the anesthesiologist for my surgery.
My experience with Kaiser was from 15 years ago so it is possible that things have changed. However, if it wasn't for the fact that I travel a lot and therefore I need very flexible coverage I would consider going back on Kaiser after my latest billing battle with Aetna. As I tried to indicate above, each insurance has its good points and bad points.
Anonymous
01/25/2014 16:09
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
OP Here- Thanks for your perspective PPs. I am not familiar with Kaiser but always hear a lot of people complain about them. i think most of the complaints are due to the fact that you have to go to their facilities so there is less flexibility on choosing your Dr
Anonymous
01/25/2014 14:38
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
Kaiser requires that you go to their facility, pick from a roster of doctors that I would not rank as first tier (the nurse practioners are often better educated), and if you essentially can't go out of network. Prepare to feel like the great unwashed in the waiting room, and it's close to impossible to call and talk to your doctor without go through many layers of support staff.
On the upside, the pharmacy is on site. You can usually see a doctor on the same day for any routine concern. There is a hotline to dal lf you are sick that is staffed 24/7.
I prefer Aetna after having used both.
On the upside, the pharmacy is on site. You can usually see a doctor on the same day for any routine concern. There is a hotline to dal lf you are sick that is staffed 24/7.
I prefer Aetna after having used both.
Anonymous
01/25/2014 14:32
Subject: Re:Help me choose a health plan
I actually disagree with the previous comment about Kaiser. A friend of mine had Kaiser insurance when she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at an extremely young age. She was also concerned that Kaiser wouldn't be able to provide the necessary care but her father, who is a Dr., closely monitored her treatment and he felt they provided excellent care. Perhaps this was a unique situation, but I have since heard similar stories.
Anonymous
01/25/2014 14:06
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
Anonymous wrote:We are a family of four and switched to the high deductible plan through United Health Care.
I basically bank the difference between the premiums I was paying with traditional BCBS into the HSA because I honestly don't think we come close to spending the amount of money we were paying in premiums. All well-care is covered now anyway.
My strategy is that in a couple of years there will be enough in the HSA to pay for dd's braces.
How much do you end up paying for a consultation if you go to the dr if you are sick or your child is sick? My understanding is sick visits are not covered by the high Deduc. plans
Anonymous
01/25/2014 13:58
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
We are a family of four and switched to the high deductible plan through United Health Care.
I basically bank the difference between the premiums I was paying with traditional BCBS into the HSA because I honestly don't think we come close to spending the amount of money we were paying in premiums. All well-care is covered now anyway.
My strategy is that in a couple of years there will be enough in the HSA to pay for dd's braces.
I basically bank the difference between the premiums I was paying with traditional BCBS into the HSA because I honestly don't think we come close to spending the amount of money we were paying in premiums. All well-care is covered now anyway.
My strategy is that in a couple of years there will be enough in the HSA to pay for dd's braces.
Anonymous
01/25/2014 13:54
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
Kaiser is not for people with medical issues or believe they will have medical issues. It is an HMO for healthy people.
Anonymous
01/25/2014 13:17
Subject: Help me choose a health plan
Hello,
I have started a new job and they have diff. health insurance plans . The high deductible ones and the traditional ones. The different plans are offered by Kaiser & Aetna ( not too familiar with Kaiser) and the kaiser plans are a few hundreds $$ cheaper than the Aetna plan. I am a single mother of a preschooler so I will need coverage for both I and my child. For that level of coverage , here is what they offer ( prices are annually):
-Trad Aetna: $4,186
-Aetna Consumer direct: $2,884
-Aetna Consumer Direct High Deductible: $1,294
-Comprehensive Trad. Kaiser: $3,797
-Kaiser consumer direct: $2,633
Kaiser con. dir. High deductible : $1,210
The high deductible plans also come with an HSA where you can contribute pre-tax$$ monthly and the company puts $600/year in the plan. However they only start paying towards your costs once you reach the Deductible which is about $4K i think for the family plan, at which point they will pay 80%. Well visits are covered though and free even before you reach your deductible. For t he regular traditional plans, you have a $15 copay for in-network visits, $25 for specialist visits ect. There is about a $3k difference between the trad & High deduct. plans. So what would you do? i have never had a high. deduct. plan so don't know if this would be huge gamble. I would say that we are reasonably healthy i-e I only go to the DR maybe 3 times a year for myself and those are annual checkups. My child however, has colds multiple times a year that necessitate Dr.visits ( sick visits) especially during flu/cold season. Most of the time they tell us to just go home and keep him hydrated but we had one ER visit last year when DC was very dehydrated due to a cold /vomiting ect. My guess is , yes the high DED. is cheaper but if you have one ER visit that will probably eat up a lot of $$$$ AND then make you even spend more out of pocket than the regular plan. Do you have experience in any of these plans? Those who have the high ded. one, when you go to a regular sick visit to a DR. How much do they charge? since all of those costs are out of pocket? Thank you
I have started a new job and they have diff. health insurance plans . The high deductible ones and the traditional ones. The different plans are offered by Kaiser & Aetna ( not too familiar with Kaiser) and the kaiser plans are a few hundreds $$ cheaper than the Aetna plan. I am a single mother of a preschooler so I will need coverage for both I and my child. For that level of coverage , here is what they offer ( prices are annually):
-Trad Aetna: $4,186
-Aetna Consumer direct: $2,884
-Aetna Consumer Direct High Deductible: $1,294
-Comprehensive Trad. Kaiser: $3,797
-Kaiser consumer direct: $2,633
Kaiser con. dir. High deductible : $1,210
The high deductible plans also come with an HSA where you can contribute pre-tax$$ monthly and the company puts $600/year in the plan. However they only start paying towards your costs once you reach the Deductible which is about $4K i think for the family plan, at which point they will pay 80%. Well visits are covered though and free even before you reach your deductible. For t he regular traditional plans, you have a $15 copay for in-network visits, $25 for specialist visits ect. There is about a $3k difference between the trad & High deduct. plans. So what would you do? i have never had a high. deduct. plan so don't know if this would be huge gamble. I would say that we are reasonably healthy i-e I only go to the DR maybe 3 times a year for myself and those are annual checkups. My child however, has colds multiple times a year that necessitate Dr.visits ( sick visits) especially during flu/cold season. Most of the time they tell us to just go home and keep him hydrated but we had one ER visit last year when DC was very dehydrated due to a cold /vomiting ect. My guess is , yes the high DED. is cheaper but if you have one ER visit that will probably eat up a lot of $$$$ AND then make you even spend more out of pocket than the regular plan. Do you have experience in any of these plans? Those who have the high ded. one, when you go to a regular sick visit to a DR. How much do they charge? since all of those costs are out of pocket? Thank you