From: obrien@netcom.com (Robert O'Brien)
Newsgroups: ba.general
Subject: Re: Sick of Kaiser Permanente
Date: 13 Dec 92 03:27:08 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)

Time for my $0.02    I've been ignoring this thread, but just caught the last
ten or so messages. I've had Kaiser on and off (interstate moves, job changes)
for much of the last fifteen years.  Mostly good.

In Fort Worth, about 1985, they were *new* to the area and didn't know what
they were doing - I opted out first chance.  In Sacramento, about six of
those years, I had excellent care, and more than once had a conversation with
Kaiser employees that made it clear they knew their jobs were more secure
when I was healthy.  That, for me, is a BIG plus. 

Whether profit-sharing or not, Kaiser gets a _constant_ amount of money from
my employer (or my Dad's, for the first few of those years), and they have to
spend more of it on me if I'm sick.  Therefore, they can be motivated toward
"wellness" and in the early 80's at least, had "wellness clinics" regularly. 
Members were encouraged to come in for a wellness screening, trying both to
catch potential trouble and offer advice to stay healthy and get more so.

I haven't heard of this in the bay area, but I haven't looked for it, either.


The experience of friends and co-workers leads me to two caveats, however.
I believe KP is not well equipped to handle "sports medicine" and probably
because they are not used to people who want more than the minimum of
performance from their bodies.  The second area in which I've heard more
bad than good is pregnancy thru chilbdirth.

One friend was hospitalized after a skiing accident, and after trensferring
eventually to a KP facility, couldn't seem to get the KP folks to understand
that he was going to continue to ski after recovery. 

Another (a friend-of-a-friend) was hit by a car while bicycling (driver's
fault fully established) and even though Kaiser was clearly able to get
remibursed, they  didn't seem to care that bicycling was a central part of
his life, and he required that they provide the reconstructive surgery and
physical therapy to make it possible. None of the needed services were
experimental or even wildly expensive, just unfamiliar to KP, and they
resisted. If, of course, he were willing to give up cycling, none of these
services would be needed.  (yeah, sure, just don't ride a bike ever again -
some cyclists I know would have some real thinking to do if given a choice
between giving up cycling or sex)

As for prenatal thru delivery, I haven't heard as much, but I think careful
research and actually *interviewing* a few doctors would go a long way
toward solving the problems I've heard.  Recently a post made mention of
several doctor switches being pulled by KP on some folks, and that post
summarized just about everything I've heard.

Like most of life, do your research, make the appropriate effort, 
choose what's right for yourself.  Kaiser is right for a lot of us, and
if that stops being true, they'll (deservedly) go out of business. 

I've seen and tried other options. Two years ago, I helped a friend after
a skiing accident through surgery and therapy with Lifeguard picking up
the tab (relatively good sports medicine, *if* you choose your own doctors
and just have the plan pay).  I've had several other types of coverage. 

Given Kaiser as a choice, I pick it.


	Bob
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