[quote=AK]When I was a kid in the early ’80s my mother worked for an HMO run by the Blessed Daughters of Charity. Now THAT was one sorry HMO. We were overjoyed when they were bought out by Kaiser.
I’d have to agree with those who say that Kaiser quality varies wildly by region. Somehow services and facilities seem to be best in areas with predominantly healthy, affluent demographics … When I was lucky enough to live in those areas, I had great experiences.
But in the end I suspect Kaiser’s rep is largely a hangover from its roots as a health plan for blue-collar unions and civil servants.
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Could be right. My parents worked for San Diego Unified and my dad said that, at that time, Kaiser was considered socialized medicine to some extent. They didn’t care. Children of the Depression, they chose the Kaiser option because it was CHEAP.
I am laughing again at my humiliation about having to carry a small see-through container of urine from the Kaiser bathroom through the throngs of people in the waiting room to the lab. “What’s your problem?” my mom growled at me. “EVERYONE pees!” That’s the beauty of aging. I now wouldn’t have a qualm about my urine sample parade (and, of course, you don’t have to do that at Kaiser anymore). In fact, I’d probably stop and ask people stuff like, “What do you suppose the absolute clarity of this sample means? What color is normal?”
