For those on Kaiser--do you just figure that based on your personal and family history you will have normal, easy to diagnose illnesses?

I have really excellent Federal PPO insurance and have had a nightmare of a time getting a chronically ill child diagnosed, which has taken dozens of doctors. I have wondered what this would have been like with Kaiser. Many doctors we saw went pretty quickly and wrongly to a psychological diagnosis--if Kaiser has mediocre mental health care I wonder if they would have done that.

I've had them for the last 7 years. The convenience of having everything in the same building is wonderful. I've had the same doctors since joining. The only difference is that my primary for OB/gyn care used to be a NP. They phased that out a few years ago. She's still there, but my care is overseen by an OB.

On the couple of occasions that I had something outside of the ordinary, getting proper treatment is a hassle. I waited months for an ultrasound to diagnose gallstones. I had a ton of weird symptoms and saw a lot of kaiser doctors. No one could diagnose it. I paid cash to see my old doctor and he suggested it was Lyme disease. He was right. Kaiser treated appropriately after we got the right diagnosis.

Happy with primary care and every specialty care except mental health.

Very upset, actually, with options.

ONE person who could see my kid for behavioral therapy/ coaching re ADHD and takes over two months to be seen per apt based on schedule only.

I wanted a grief counselor when a parent died and I was told to find someone outside kaiser but still in the "select" option because they didn't have anyone??? Well, my plan stopped that option so out of luck.

Anonymous wrote:Run away. I had them in California growing up and they were terrible. Told me my torn ligament was a bruise, and made me suffer with a knee that would just pop out for years without agreeing to even an MRI or surgery. Told my father his appendicitis was a flu and let his appendix rupture. Recently, didn't diagnose mom's blood clot for days, treating it as a flu, and when they finally figured it out, claimed it was then too risky to operate. She died a week later. Bad cheap system that I will never ever use for my family. If you came in with a fever saying you had been to Liberia, they would definitely send you home and tell you to take some Tylenol. Bad.

Was this in California or here? I only ask because I have Kaiser, and I've had a HORRIBLE time getting appropriate treatment for a knee injury, but once I had a blood clot, the treatment was fantastic and unbelievably well-coordinated. Of course, I've also been hassled incessantly to get a mammogram, and have told at least 20 people that as soon as my knee is fixed and I can walk, I'll be happy to come in and get a mammogram.

What I especially like is the availability of care - I can make kids' appointments the same day, usually with their physician. Their urgent care is near us and is 24 hours, and you can stay overnight without being transferred to a hospital, if you just need monitoring. I know the primary care doctors are overworked (because I know one personally), but the staff usually seems pleasant and helpful.

PP here. By the way, I had the federal BCBS PPO plan for several years, including years when I had cancer, and was very happy with it. Unlike Kaiser.