I have had BCBS my whole life and love the flexibility and being able to go to specialists without a referral. I live near Virginia Hospital Center so I decided to try and use only VHC-affiliated doctors. They have a patient portal that makes scheduling appointments super easy. I don't find it hard at all and love being able to research and choose my own doctors.

Why would you use the BCBS website? Weird.

Kaiser is great when you don't have health issues or have something very complicated where they can't ignore it and they actually help you manage care.

For me and my child it was awful. Had to leave to get my child an autism diagnosis and get therapies paid for. Kaiser refused to evaluate my child. After switching to BCBS, we found a much better pediatrician.

I do miss my Kaiser PCP, but as great as she was, she still couldn't get me proper treatment for my chronic pain. Finding a PCP through BCBS has been a bit bumpy (the first one went concierge soon after I established care) but I am hopeful that I will find someone. And accessing urgent care is so, so much easier now. Kaiser only has one urgent care in my area and it is 30 minutes away. Urgent cares that take BCBS are everywhere.

Anonymous wrote:I'll be experiencing this soon...leaving kaiser for united healthcare. Sad.

We did this 2 years ago. Generally I like UHC better than Kaiser but my kids need OT and PT and UHC reimburses so little that no providers around DC will take them. So there is good and bad.

Anonymous wrote:Some of you go to the doctors constantly and are not even chronically ill.

You really have no idea who here is or is not chronically ill; what this the purpose of this carping?

There is some standard screening recommended to people in their 40s-40s that PCPs don’t do. It could easily explain OP looking for a derm and GI, for instance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming you don’t have BCBS Basic (if you’re a Fed, note that Standard and Basic are not the same): you don’t call the insurance company; you call the doctor’s office.

Virtually every doc around here who accepts insurance takes BCBS Standard.

You should find a PCP, but may not be obligated to, depending on which BCBS plan you have. I use One Medical for this; they take BCBS and are good at doing referrals that get faster appointments than me calling myself (and I am, alas, an experienced patient, so it’s not that IDK what I am doing).

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks would One Medical work for college age daughter and older young adult (California)

Depends on where in CA they are, but there’s a good chance yes. Here is their location list:

https://www.onemedical.com/locations/

FWIW I am a 10-year patient and in my 50s. They have been great for me.

Are you in your twenties or from a foreign country??

Yes, you CALL the doctor's office where you want to make an appointment. Look on the BCBS website search engine to make sure they take your appointment and also ask the doctor's office when you schedule.

Some doctor's offices have online scheduling via their website but that is rare.

Anonymous wrote:With bcbs, you can just Google providers near you, find a good one, and then check if they’re in your network. I very rarely have an issue and bcbs has been my favorite insurance I’ve ever had.

Yes. Almost everyone around here takes bcbs except for psychiatrists. The idea of booking a doctors appointment through an insurance website is very weird to me. I never have claims denied and we see whatever specialists we want whenever we want.

With bcbs, you can just Google providers near you, find a good one, and then check if they’re in your network. I very rarely have an issue and bcbs has been my favorite insurance I’ve ever had.

Some of you go to the doctors constantly and are not even chronically ill.

Anonymous wrote:I use ZocDoc where I can, it lets me book online and enter my info. I’ve been happy with BCBS the last few years. Good luck!

Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:Assuming you don’t have BCBS Basic (if you’re a Fed, note that Standard and Basic are not the same): you don’t call the insurance company; you call the doctor’s office.

Virtually every doc around here who accepts insurance takes BCBS Standard.

You should find a PCP, but may not be obligated to, depending on which BCBS plan you have. I use One Medical for this; they take BCBS and are good at doing referrals that get faster appointments than me calling myself (and I am, alas, an experienced patient, so it’s not that IDK what I am doing).

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks would One Medical work for college age daughter and older young adult (California)

I’ve never heard of calling the insurance company for an appointment. Kaiser is very unique that way.

I have BC and have always just called the doc office to see if they take my insurance, and then make an appointment.

I meant to say I had UHC before and it is an experience I DONT want to repeat.

Has Kaiser now and I will never leave. Having all the doctors in one place, easy to make and confirm appointments in one app, tons of doctors to choose from and they can all see your medical record and coordinate care. For a family of five, I love having everything in one place. The location nearby also has a 24 hour urgent care, pharmacy and lab. Kaiser has never denied anything and no surprise bills. Had UHC before and it was not an experience I want to repeat.