Kaiser is rebounding from its first loss in more than 50 years of nonprofit operation. To get back in the black, however, it has hiked rates aggressively over the past couple of years. This year, Kaiser boosted premiums to large employers by 7 percent to 10 percent. Kaiser is unique among HMOs because it combines doctors, hospitals and other medical offices under one roof. Because of this integration, it can tie its Web site more directly into the care process.
Patients can make routine appointments on the Web.
The state reports how many consumers complained about each health plan. In 1999, the state said Kaiser had 1.1155 complaints per 10,000 members, just slightly below the average for all California health plans. Cross of California. As the state's second-largest HMO, Blue Cross has been trying harder to expand its network of doctors and hospitals, on the theory that patients choose doctors first and health plans second. With 48,000 physicians and 400 hospitals in its network, employees considering a switch to Blue Cross would likely be able to keep their current provider.