Kind of OT, but not: Why does everyone hate Kaiser?

[TuVu]

[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.
[/quote]
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?”

[stockstradr]

Oh, yes, the misery of Kaiser Permanente? (The “Permanente” is Spanish for a system of “permanent” denial of care.)

I have so many stories for you. Where to begin?

Back in 2003, without asking friends their opinion, we chose Kaiser from our employer’s plans.

You see, I didn’t know. I was naive.

The next day at lunch, sitting with a dozen fellow employees, I was asked, “So which health care provider did you select?”

I replied, “Kaiser”

I saw stunned faces looking back at me, then laughing faces. Then pity.

Then one of them asked, “You don’t know about Kaiser, do you? You must not be from California?”

I’m thinking, “Uh oh”

Now, years later I understand. I have a hundred stories of our desperate attempts trying to squeeze a few drops of health care from the hard lifeless rock that is Kaiser. Our friends have a thousand more. I’ll just bore you with just one typical true story. You’ll get the idea.

I had a strange tumor coming out my back. It was the size of a squashed tomato. It was big. It was scary. After two months of waiting for an appointment with a Kaiser “doctor,” here’s what happens during my appointment.

The doctor looks at my tumor and then he gets out the 3-ring Kaiser “book” which is a book of rules about denying patient care. It was clearly written by the bean counters at Kaiser, to save Kaiser millions by denying patient care, through use of various rules that disguise the process of denying care.

The “doctor” holds the book and then gets out his little tape measure. He says, “Well, it is only 3.7 inches long”

“Here at Kaiser, any tumor needs to be at least four inches long or Kaiser won’t operate, or even do a biopsy.”

“I can’t give you a referral to a Kaiser surgeon”
“Your five minutes are up. I have more patients to see today.”

I’m thinking to myself, “Kaiser does NOT have doctors. Kaiser has robots with medical degrees, heartless, mindless robots which are programmed to systematically deny patients care.”

After several more appointments and phone calls, and three weeks more of waiting, finally, my doctor says, “Well, we have a program where a nurse can remove small tumors like this?”
I’m thinking to myself, “A friggin’ NURSE is going to cut a four inch hole in my back and remove this tumor? NO WAY!”

I was pissed. I was DETERMINED to squeeze a few drops of damn health care from the dry lifeless rock that is Kaiser.

I needed a respected advocate. I scheduled an appointment with a professor of surgery at UCSD Medical Center La Jolla. He looked at this bulge on my back and said, “This has got to be surgically removed!”

I told him what Kaiser said. He looked at me with understanding eyes that have heard this story before from a hundred patients who had come to him after denial of care by Kaiser.

He says, “Here is what we’ll do. I know the head of surgery at Kaiser. I’ll call him up and embarrass him by telling him another story about how a patient at Kaiser isn’t getting care. He’ll do something about it. I will also write him a letter on your case.”

I’m thinking, “Now THIS is a doctor, one who understands the meaning of being a true ADVOCATE for patient care.”

That appointment at UCSD was not covered by my Kaiser insurance. Of course not. It cost me $300. It was worth it.

Two days later a Kaiser nurse calls me up and explains she schedules appointments for a Kaiser surgeon. A month later my tumor was removed from my back…and the Kaiser surgeon was excellent, very talented, because she was selected by the UCSD doctor from La Jolla!

This is a classic story about Kaiser. It is typical because it reveals that Kaiser is a machine that exists to deny health care, because Kaiser is a corporation focused upon making money by denying care. Only the few patients like me are able to squeeze some health care from that cold lifeless machine, because we are RELENTLESS in fighting the Kaiser machine, in finding the twisted path to getting at some mediocre level of health care from Kaiser. And we have the financial resources, and the smarts to know how to work the Kaiser system.
But, it is exhausting. We could only take a year of it.

Now let me talk about Sharp, and UCSD. The smart money, or at least the smart, in San Diego understand you get great health care in San Diego from either Sharp Memorial or from UCSD Medical.
We spent three years getting our care from Sharp. The first time I visited Sharp, I found myself thinking, “I must be dreaming. I don’t believe this kind of conscientious, quality medical care even exists any more.”

At Sharp I had doctors actually invite me into their OFFICE and sit me down to discuss my condition for 30 minutes! Impossible you say? Sharp is a world apart from Kaiser. Sharp hires doctors who are top 20% in their class. Who do you think Kaiser hires?

Get a clue about Kaiser. Open up your eyes:

http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/11/local/me-kaiser11

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-16-homeless-dumping-skidrow_x.htm

http://cbs5.com/investigates/Kaiser.liver.transplant.2.445838.html

[stockstradr]

Oh, yes, the misery of Kaiser Permanente? (The “Permanente” is Spanish for a system of “permanent” denial of care.)

I have so many stories for you. Where to begin?

Back in 2003, without asking friends their opinion, we chose Kaiser from our employer’s plans.

You see, I didn’t know. I was naive.

The next day at lunch, sitting with a dozen fellow employees, I was asked, “So which health care provider did you select?”

I replied, “Kaiser”

I saw stunned faces looking back at me, then laughing faces. Then pity.

Then one of them asked, “You don’t know about Kaiser, do you? You must not be from California?”

I’m thinking, “Uh oh”

Now, years later I understand. I have a hundred stories of our desperate attempts trying to squeeze a few drops of health care from the hard lifeless rock that is Kaiser. Our friends have a thousand more. I’ll just bore you with just one typical true story. You’ll get the idea.

I had a strange tumor coming out my back. It was the size of a squashed tomato. It was big. It was scary. After two months of waiting for an appointment with a Kaiser “doctor,” here’s what happens during my appointment.

The doctor looks at my tumor and then he gets out the 3-ring Kaiser “book” which is a book of rules about denying patient care. It was clearly written by the bean counters at Kaiser, to save Kaiser millions by denying patient care, through use of various rules that disguise the process of denying care.

The “doctor” holds the book and then gets out his little tape measure. He says, “Well, it is only 3.7 inches long”

“Here at Kaiser, any tumor needs to be at least four inches long or Kaiser won’t operate, or even do a biopsy.”

“I can’t give you a referral to a Kaiser surgeon”
“Your five minutes are up. I have more patients to see today.”

I’m thinking to myself, “Kaiser does NOT have doctors. Kaiser has robots with medical degrees, heartless, mindless robots which are programmed to systematically deny patients care.”

After several more appointments and phone calls, and three weeks more of waiting, finally, my doctor says, “Well, we have a program where a nurse can remove small tumors like this?”
I’m thinking to myself, “A friggin’ NURSE is going to cut a four inch hole in my back and remove this tumor? NO WAY!”

I was pissed. I was DETERMINED to squeeze a few drops of damn health care from the dry lifeless rock that is Kaiser.

I needed a respected advocate. I scheduled an appointment with a professor of surgery at UCSD Medical Center La Jolla. He looked at this bulge on my back and said, “This has got to be surgically removed!”

I told him what Kaiser said. He looked at me with understanding eyes that have heard this story before from a hundred patients who had come to him after denial of care by Kaiser.

He says, “Here is what we’ll do. I know the head of surgery at Kaiser. I’ll call him up and embarrass him by telling him another story about how a patient at Kaiser isn’t getting care. He’ll do something about it. I will also write him a letter on your case.”

I’m thinking, “Now THIS is a doctor, one who understands the meaning of being a true ADVOCATE for patient care.”

That appointment at UCSD was not covered by my Kaiser insurance. Of course not. It cost me $300. It was worth it.

Two days later a Kaiser nurse calls me up and explains she schedules appointments for a Kaiser surgeon. A month later my tumor was removed from my back…and the Kaiser surgeon was excellent, very talented, because she was selected by the UCSD doctor from La Jolla!

This is a classic story about Kaiser. It is typical because it reveals that Kaiser is a machine that exists to deny health care, because Kaiser is a corporation focused upon making money by denying care. Only the few patients like me are able to squeeze some health care from that cold lifeless machine, because we are RELENTLESS in fighting the Kaiser machine, in finding the twisted path to getting at some mediocre level of health care from Kaiser. And we have the financial resources, and the smarts to know how to work the Kaiser system.
But, it is exhausting. We could only take a year of it.

Now let me talk about Sharp, and UCSD. The smart money, or at least the smart, in San Diego understand you get great health care in San Diego from either Sharp Memorial or from UCSD Medical.
We spent three years getting our care from Sharp. The first time I visited Sharp, I found myself thinking, “I must be dreaming. I don’t believe this kind of conscientious, quality medical care even exists any more.”

At Sharp I had doctors actually invite me into their OFFICE and sit me down to discuss my condition for 30 minutes! Impossible you say? Sharp is a world apart from Kaiser. Sharp hires doctors who are top 20% in their class. Who do you think Kaiser hires?

Get a clue about Kaiser. Open up your eyes:

http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/11/local/me-kaiser11

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-16-homeless-dumping-skidrow_x.htm

http://cbs5.com/investigates/Kaiser.liver.transplant.2.445838.html

[stockstradr]

Oh, yes, the misery of Kaiser Permanente? (The “Permanente” is Spanish for a system of “permanent” denial of care.)

I have so many stories for you. Where to begin?

Back in 2003, without asking friends their opinion, we chose Kaiser from our employer’s plans.

You see, I didn’t know. I was naive.

The next day at lunch, sitting with a dozen fellow employees, I was asked, “So which health care provider did you select?”

I replied, “Kaiser”

I saw stunned faces looking back at me, then laughing faces. Then pity.

Then one of them asked, “You don’t know about Kaiser, do you? You must not be from California?”

I’m thinking, “Uh oh”

Now, years later I understand. I have a hundred stories of our desperate attempts trying to squeeze a few drops of health care from the hard lifeless rock that is Kaiser. Our friends have a thousand more. I’ll just bore you with just one typical true story. You’ll get the idea.

I had a strange tumor coming out my back. It was the size of a squashed tomato. It was big. It was scary. After two months of waiting for an appointment with a Kaiser “doctor,” here’s what happens during my appointment.

The doctor looks at my tumor and then he gets out the 3-ring Kaiser “book” which is a book of rules about denying patient care. It was clearly written by the bean counters at Kaiser, to save Kaiser millions by denying patient care, through use of various rules that disguise the process of denying care.

The “doctor” holds the book and then gets out his little tape measure. He says, “Well, it is only 3.7 inches long”

“Here at Kaiser, any tumor needs to be at least four inches long or Kaiser won’t operate, or even do a biopsy.”

“I can’t give you a referral to a Kaiser surgeon”
“Your five minutes are up. I have more patients to see today.”

I’m thinking to myself, “Kaiser does NOT have doctors. Kaiser has robots with medical degrees, heartless, mindless robots which are programmed to systematically deny patients care.”

After several more appointments and phone calls, and three weeks more of waiting, finally, my doctor says, “Well, we have a program where a nurse can remove small tumors like this?”
I’m thinking to myself, “A friggin’ NURSE is going to cut a four inch hole in my back and remove this tumor? NO WAY!”

I was pissed. I was DETERMINED to squeeze a few drops of damn health care from the dry lifeless rock that is Kaiser.

I needed a respected advocate. I scheduled an appointment with a professor of surgery at UCSD Medical Center La Jolla. He looked at this bulge on my back and said, “This has got to be surgically removed!”

I told him what Kaiser said. He looked at me with understanding eyes that have heard this story before from a hundred patients who had come to him after denial of care by Kaiser.

He says, “Here is what we’ll do. I know the head of surgery at Kaiser. I’ll call him up and embarrass him by telling him another story about how a patient at Kaiser isn’t getting care. He’ll do something about it. I will also write him a letter on your case.”

I’m thinking, “Now THIS is a doctor, one who understands the meaning of being a true ADVOCATE for patient care.”

That appointment at UCSD was not covered by my Kaiser insurance. Of course not. It cost me $300. It was worth it.

Two days later a Kaiser nurse calls me up and explains she schedules appointments for a Kaiser surgeon. A month later my tumor was removed from my back…and the Kaiser surgeon was excellent, very talented, because she was selected by the UCSD doctor from La Jolla!

This is a classic story about Kaiser. It is typical because it reveals that Kaiser is a machine that exists to deny health care, because Kaiser is a corporation focused upon making money by denying care. Only the few patients like me are able to squeeze some health care from that cold lifeless machine, because we are RELENTLESS in fighting the Kaiser machine, in finding the twisted path to getting at some mediocre level of health care from Kaiser. And we have the financial resources, and the smarts to know how to work the Kaiser system.
But, it is exhausting. We could only take a year of it.

Now let me talk about Sharp, and UCSD. The smart money, or at least the smart, in San Diego understand you get great health care in San Diego from either Sharp Memorial or from UCSD Medical.
We spent three years getting our care from Sharp. The first time I visited Sharp, I found myself thinking, “I must be dreaming. I don’t believe this kind of conscientious, quality medical care even exists any more.”

At Sharp I had doctors actually invite me into their OFFICE and sit me down to discuss my condition for 30 minutes! Impossible you say? Sharp is a world apart from Kaiser. Sharp hires doctors who are top 20% in their class. Who do you think Kaiser hires?

Get a clue about Kaiser. Open up your eyes:

http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/11/local/me-kaiser11

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-16-homeless-dumping-skidrow_x.htm

http://cbs5.com/investigates/Kaiser.liver.transplant.2.445838.html

[stockstradr]

Oh, yes, the misery of Kaiser Permanente? (The “Permanente” is Spanish for a system of “permanent” denial of care.)

I have so many stories for you. Where to begin?

Back in 2003, without asking friends their opinion, we chose Kaiser from our employer’s plans.

You see, I didn’t know. I was naive.

The next day at lunch, sitting with a dozen fellow employees, I was asked, “So which health care provider did you select?”

I replied, “Kaiser”

I saw stunned faces looking back at me, then laughing faces. Then pity.

Then one of them asked, “You don’t know about Kaiser, do you? You must not be from California?”

I’m thinking, “Uh oh”

Now, years later I understand. I have a hundred stories of our desperate attempts trying to squeeze a few drops of health care from the hard lifeless rock that is Kaiser. Our friends have a thousand more. I’ll just bore you with just one typical true story. You’ll get the idea.

I had a strange tumor coming out my back. It was the size of a squashed tomato. It was big. It was scary. After two months of waiting for an appointment with a Kaiser “doctor,” here’s what happens during my appointment.

The doctor looks at my tumor and then he gets out the 3-ring Kaiser “book” which is a book of rules about denying patient care. It was clearly written by the bean counters at Kaiser, to save Kaiser millions by denying patient care, through use of various rules that disguise the process of denying care.

The “doctor” holds the book and then gets out his little tape measure. He says, “Well, it is only 3.7 inches long”

“Here at Kaiser, any tumor needs to be at least four inches long or Kaiser won’t operate, or even do a biopsy.”

“I can’t give you a referral to a Kaiser surgeon”
“Your five minutes are up. I have more patients to see today.”

I’m thinking to myself, “Kaiser does NOT have doctors. Kaiser has robots with medical degrees, heartless, mindless robots which are programmed to systematically deny patients care.”

After several more appointments and phone calls, and three weeks more of waiting, finally, my doctor says, “Well, we have a program where a nurse can remove small tumors like this?”
I’m thinking to myself, “A friggin’ NURSE is going to cut a four inch hole in my back and remove this tumor? NO WAY!”

I was pissed. I was DETERMINED to squeeze a few drops of damn health care from the dry lifeless rock that is Kaiser.

I needed a respected advocate. I scheduled an appointment with a professor of surgery at UCSD Medical Center La Jolla. He looked at this bulge on my back and said, “This has got to be surgically removed!”

I told him what Kaiser said. He looked at me with understanding eyes that have heard this story before from a hundred patients who had come to him after denial of care by Kaiser.

He says, “Here is what we’ll do. I know the head of surgery at Kaiser. I’ll call him up and embarrass him by telling him another story about how a patient at Kaiser isn’t getting care. He’ll do something about it. I will also write him a letter on your case.”

I’m thinking, “Now THIS is a doctor, one who understands the meaning of being a true ADVOCATE for patient care.”

That appointment at UCSD was not covered by my Kaiser insurance. Of course not. It cost me $300. It was worth it.

Two days later a Kaiser nurse calls me up and explains she schedules appointments for a Kaiser surgeon. A month later my tumor was removed from my back…and the Kaiser surgeon was excellent, very talented, because she was selected by the UCSD doctor from La Jolla!

This is a classic story about Kaiser. It is typical because it reveals that Kaiser is a machine that exists to deny health care, because Kaiser is a corporation focused upon making money by denying care. Only the few patients like me are able to squeeze some health care from that cold lifeless machine, because we are RELENTLESS in fighting the Kaiser machine, in finding the twisted path to getting at some mediocre level of health care from Kaiser. And we have the financial resources, and the smarts to know how to work the Kaiser system.
But, it is exhausting. We could only take a year of it.

Now let me talk about Sharp, and UCSD. The smart money, or at least the smart, in San Diego understand you get great health care in San Diego from either Sharp Memorial or from UCSD Medical.
We spent three years getting our care from Sharp. The first time I visited Sharp, I found myself thinking, “I must be dreaming. I don’t believe this kind of conscientious, quality medical care even exists any more.”

At Sharp I had doctors actually invite me into their OFFICE and sit me down to discuss my condition for 30 minutes! Impossible you say? Sharp is a world apart from Kaiser. Sharp hires doctors who are top 20% in their class. Who do you think Kaiser hires?

Get a clue about Kaiser. Open up your eyes:

http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/11/local/me-kaiser11

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-16-homeless-dumping-skidrow_x.htm

http://cbs5.com/investigates/Kaiser.liver.transplant.2.445838.html

[stockstradr]

Oh, yes, the misery of Kaiser Permanente? (The “Permanente” is Spanish for a system of “permanent” denial of care.)

I have so many stories for you. Where to begin?

Back in 2003, without asking friends their opinion, we chose Kaiser from our employer’s plans.

You see, I didn’t know. I was naive.

The next day at lunch, sitting with a dozen fellow employees, I was asked, “So which health care provider did you select?”

I replied, “Kaiser”

I saw stunned faces looking back at me, then laughing faces. Then pity.

Then one of them asked, “You don’t know about Kaiser, do you? You must not be from California?”

I’m thinking, “Uh oh”

Now, years later I understand. I have a hundred stories of our desperate attempts trying to squeeze a few drops of health care from the hard lifeless rock that is Kaiser. Our friends have a thousand more. I’ll just bore you with just one typical true story. You’ll get the idea.

I had a strange tumor coming out my back. It was the size of a squashed tomato. It was big. It was scary. After two months of waiting for an appointment with a Kaiser “doctor,” here’s what happens during my appointment.

The doctor looks at my tumor and then he gets out the 3-ring Kaiser “book” which is a book of rules about denying patient care. It was clearly written by the bean counters at Kaiser, to save Kaiser millions by denying patient care, through use of various rules that disguise the process of denying care.

The “doctor” holds the book and then gets out his little tape measure. He says, “Well, it is only 3.7 inches long”

“Here at Kaiser, any tumor needs to be at least four inches long or Kaiser won’t operate, or even do a biopsy.”

“I can’t give you a referral to a Kaiser surgeon”
“Your five minutes are up. I have more patients to see today.”

I’m thinking to myself, “Kaiser does NOT have doctors. Kaiser has robots with medical degrees, heartless, mindless robots which are programmed to systematically deny patients care.”

After several more appointments and phone calls, and three weeks more of waiting, finally, my doctor says, “Well, we have a program where a nurse can remove small tumors like this?”
I’m thinking to myself, “A friggin’ NURSE is going to cut a four inch hole in my back and remove this tumor? NO WAY!”

I was pissed. I was DETERMINED to squeeze a few drops of damn health care from the dry lifeless rock that is Kaiser.

I needed a respected advocate. I scheduled an appointment with a professor of surgery at UCSD Medical Center La Jolla. He looked at this bulge on my back and said, “This has got to be surgically removed!”

I told him what Kaiser said. He looked at me with understanding eyes that have heard this story before from a hundred patients who had come to him after denial of care by Kaiser.

He says, “Here is what we’ll do. I know the head of surgery at Kaiser. I’ll call him up and embarrass him by telling him another story about how a patient at Kaiser isn’t getting care. He’ll do something about it. I will also write him a letter on your case.”

I’m thinking, “Now THIS is a doctor, one who understands the meaning of being a true ADVOCATE for patient care.”

That appointment at UCSD was not covered by my Kaiser insurance. Of course not. It cost me $300. It was worth it.

Two days later a Kaiser nurse calls me up and explains she schedules appointments for a Kaiser surgeon. A month later my tumor was removed from my back…and the Kaiser surgeon was excellent, very talented, because she was selected by the UCSD doctor from La Jolla!

This is a classic story about Kaiser. It is typical because it reveals that Kaiser is a machine that exists to deny health care, because Kaiser is a corporation focused upon making money by denying care. Only the few patients like me are able to squeeze some health care from that cold lifeless machine, because we are RELENTLESS in fighting the Kaiser machine, in finding the twisted path to getting at some mediocre level of health care from Kaiser. And we have the financial resources, and the smarts to know how to work the Kaiser system.
But, it is exhausting. We could only take a year of it.

Now let me talk about Sharp, and UCSD. The smart money, or at least the smart, in San Diego understand you get great health care in San Diego from either Sharp Memorial or from UCSD Medical.
We spent three years getting our care from Sharp. The first time I visited Sharp, I found myself thinking, “I must be dreaming. I don’t believe this kind of conscientious, quality medical care even exists any more.”

At Sharp I had doctors actually invite me into their OFFICE and sit me down to discuss my condition for 30 minutes! Impossible you say? Sharp is a world apart from Kaiser. Sharp hires doctors who are top 20% in their class. Who do you think Kaiser hires?

Get a clue about Kaiser. Open up your eyes:

http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/11/local/me-kaiser11

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-16-homeless-dumping-skidrow_x.htm

http://cbs5.com/investigates/Kaiser.liver.transplant.2.445838.html

[CA renter]

Unfortunately, I can confirm that there are a number of cases just like stockstrader’s.

I know of three people who had cancer, but were not diagnosed in time because Kaiser refused to order necessary tests. All believed they had cancer before being diagnosed, and requested testing. All were refused. All died (two were young, in their 40s).

One time, I was taken by ambulance to a North County hospital in the middle of the night, and they determined I needed a blood transfusion. They stabilized me and called Kaiser, but couldn’t reach anyone. Finally, hours later, they got in touch with a person at Kaiser who said I had to be transported to Zion in order to get a blood transfusion. They refused to let the North County hospital do it (the drive can take over an hour).

We changed our insurance two days later, and will never return again.

Kaiser can be good if you get the right people, but they can kill you if you don’t.

[CA renter]

Unfortunately, I can confirm that there are a number of cases just like stockstrader’s.

I know of three people who had cancer, but were not diagnosed in time because Kaiser refused to order necessary tests. All believed they had cancer before being diagnosed, and requested testing. All were refused. All died (two were young, in their 40s).

One time, I was taken by ambulance to a North County hospital in the middle of the night, and they determined I needed a blood transfusion. They stabilized me and called Kaiser, but couldn’t reach anyone. Finally, hours later, they got in touch with a person at Kaiser who said I had to be transported to Zion in order to get a blood transfusion. They refused to let the North County hospital do it (the drive can take over an hour).

We changed our insurance two days later, and will never return again.

Kaiser can be good if you get the right people, but they can kill you if you don’t.

[CA renter]

Unfortunately, I can confirm that there are a number of cases just like stockstrader’s.

I know of three people who had cancer, but were not diagnosed in time because Kaiser refused to order necessary tests. All believed they had cancer before being diagnosed, and requested testing. All were refused. All died (two were young, in their 40s).

One time, I was taken by ambulance to a North County hospital in the middle of the night, and they determined I needed a blood transfusion. They stabilized me and called Kaiser, but couldn’t reach anyone. Finally, hours later, they got in touch with a person at Kaiser who said I had to be transported to Zion in order to get a blood transfusion. They refused to let the North County hospital do it (the drive can take over an hour).

We changed our insurance two days later, and will never return again.

Kaiser can be good if you get the right people, but they can kill you if you don’t.

[CA renter]

Unfortunately, I can confirm that there are a number of cases just like stockstrader’s.

I know of three people who had cancer, but were not diagnosed in time because Kaiser refused to order necessary tests. All believed they had cancer before being diagnosed, and requested testing. All were refused. All died (two were young, in their 40s).

One time, I was taken by ambulance to a North County hospital in the middle of the night, and they determined I needed a blood transfusion. They stabilized me and called Kaiser, but couldn’t reach anyone. Finally, hours later, they got in touch with a person at Kaiser who said I had to be transported to Zion in order to get a blood transfusion. They refused to let the North County hospital do it (the drive can take over an hour).

We changed our insurance two days later, and will never return again.

Kaiser can be good if you get the right people, but they can kill you if you don’t.

[CA renter]

Unfortunately, I can confirm that there are a number of cases just like stockstrader’s.

I know of three people who had cancer, but were not diagnosed in time because Kaiser refused to order necessary tests. All believed they had cancer before being diagnosed, and requested testing. All were refused. All died (two were young, in their 40s).

One time, I was taken by ambulance to a North County hospital in the middle of the night, and they determined I needed a blood transfusion. They stabilized me and called Kaiser, but couldn’t reach anyone. Finally, hours later, they got in touch with a person at Kaiser who said I had to be transported to Zion in order to get a blood transfusion. They refused to let the North County hospital do it (the drive can take over an hour).

We changed our insurance two days later, and will never return again.

Kaiser can be good if you get the right people, but they can kill you if you don’t.

[TuVu]

stockstrader and CA renter,

Thanks. Reading these experiences have convinced us to buy her a Blue Shield PPO plan, even tho it’s more expensive than Kaiser. We are with Sharp and only regret there is no Sharp for our daughter in the Bay Area. Three times in the last year (twice for me, once for our daughter) our Sharp primary care physician has ordered us to get blood work to see how new meds are affecting us. We tend to procrastinate on stuff like that, and the doctor would have her nurse hound us by phone to get it done. This resulted in an odd combination of emotions in me: I was both infuriated and impressed.

We were not with Kaiser very long. I do remember, however, having to work the system to get an immediate (same day) appointment, such as exagerating symptoms. At Sharp, you simply say, “I need to see someone today” and they will accommodate you, even if it’s with a physician’s assistant, which is fine by me.

[TuVu]

stockstrader and CA renter,

Thanks. Reading these experiences have convinced us to buy her a Blue Shield PPO plan, even tho it’s more expensive than Kaiser. We are with Sharp and only regret there is no Sharp for our daughter in the Bay Area. Three times in the last year (twice for me, once for our daughter) our Sharp primary care physician has ordered us to get blood work to see how new meds are affecting us. We tend to procrastinate on stuff like that, and the doctor would have her nurse hound us by phone to get it done. This resulted in an odd combination of emotions in me: I was both infuriated and impressed.

We were not with Kaiser very long. I do remember, however, having to work the system to get an immediate (same day) appointment, such as exagerating symptoms. At Sharp, you simply say, “I need to see someone today” and they will accommodate you, even if it’s with a physician’s assistant, which is fine by me.

[TuVu]

stockstrader and CA renter,

Thanks. Reading these experiences have convinced us to buy her a Blue Shield PPO plan, even tho it’s more expensive than Kaiser. We are with Sharp and only regret there is no Sharp for our daughter in the Bay Area. Three times in the last year (twice for me, once for our daughter) our Sharp primary care physician has ordered us to get blood work to see how new meds are affecting us. We tend to procrastinate on stuff like that, and the doctor would have her nurse hound us by phone to get it done. This resulted in an odd combination of emotions in me: I was both infuriated and impressed.

We were not with Kaiser very long. I do remember, however, having to work the system to get an immediate (same day) appointment, such as exagerating symptoms. At Sharp, you simply say, “I need to see someone today” and they will accommodate you, even if it’s with a physician’s assistant, which is fine by me.

[TuVu]

stockstrader and CA renter,

Thanks. Reading these experiences have convinced us to buy her a Blue Shield PPO plan, even tho it’s more expensive than Kaiser. We are with Sharp and only regret there is no Sharp for our daughter in the Bay Area. Three times in the last year (twice for me, once for our daughter) our Sharp primary care physician has ordered us to get blood work to see how new meds are affecting us. We tend to procrastinate on stuff like that, and the doctor would have her nurse hound us by phone to get it done. This resulted in an odd combination of emotions in me: I was both infuriated and impressed.

We were not with Kaiser very long. I do remember, however, having to work the system to get an immediate (same day) appointment, such as exagerating symptoms. At Sharp, you simply say, “I need to see someone today” and they will accommodate you, even if it’s with a physician’s assistant, which is fine by me.

[Author]

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