I wish I had read these review earlier. Kaiser is big RIP OFF!

I had a very similar experience as one of the reviewers here for something as small as changing my contact lens prescription to kaiser! My friend suggested that I should try new Silicone Hydrogel eye lens. The simple task required this -

-Make an appointment with Optometry and get a regular eye check up. Get a referral for lens fitting $40

-Go for lens fitting and pay $69 for absolutely nothing except for getting a sample to try on.

-Go back to Kaiser Optometrist I first saw to get the final prescription $40.


So, its $150 and 3 visits over a month for something that took me only $80 and an hour last time I did it (obviously not from kaiser). What a waste!

Folks...... you get what you pay for with this insurance, I should say foundation for the benefit of them.....

I have nothing good to say about this monopolistic entity pertaining to "affordable" healthcare....
please check out my blog on my HORRIFIC experiences.. I am sure there are much worse out there... I am sooooooooooo glad to have gotten out before it got much worse....

Pleae check out my blog at
http://shareyourkaiserexperience.blogspot.com/

by the way... I have blue cross blue shield now.. .yeah its more work than Kaiser, but at least if I don't like a doctor or whatever.. I can dictate my healthcare....

http://shareyourkaiserexperience.blogspot.com/

I love Kaiser Permanente. I am an employe but putting that aside it is my primary insurance and as a member I can tell you it is a great insurance/healthcare to have. I've read some of the comments and concerns and can touch on a few of them as an employee.
-Costs: Issues with costs such as copays and/or benefits are not chosen by KP. Your employer chooses the plans and copays. Also, your employer determines the amount in which they will contribute to your portion of benefits, again not decided by KP. Another factor to consider is your fellow co-worker's health conditions can play a major role in the cost of coverage for your employer which falls down to the employees. This is the same through any health insurance carrier.
-Access: This can sometimes be an issue depending on the department/reason for the visit. I know KP attempts to have the best availability they can. For example, we allow approx 20min for visits which is the typical amount of time needed. If we lower the appt time this will cause frustration with some members for not being seen long enough. If we lenghten the appt time this will replace some available appts which will push out the next available opening.
-Billing: Healthcare is very complex and can easily cause billing issues. Although we strive to handle these errors as best as possible it is not uncommon to have problems when dealing with insurance claims which I'm sure other insurance carriers can agree on.
-Wrong diagnosis/delay in diagnosis: Of course I am not a doctor but from personal experience in the past (with other insurance) I have found this to be quite common through any doctor's office. They do call it practice for a reason. Unfortunately when dealing with health this isn't ideal but it does happen. We certainly do not want malpractice and if this is indeed the issue then it should be reported right away.

As an employee I hear about both negative and postive feedback. Kaiser Permanente is a great company for insurance, healthcare and for giving back to the community. There are a lot of wonderful aspects about KP and I'm extremely proud to work here.

Kaiser is the very worst health care provider I could imagine.
I need an injection in my spine for severe pain in my left arm. I have had this done three times in the past but here is what I have to go through to get the procedure done.

1. Make an appointment with my primary care physician ant tell him what I need done and get a referral. [$50] [four days]

2. Go to the referral office and get them to make an appointment with the Pain Clinic and have then evaluate the referral. [$50]

3. [2 weeks later] Go to the Pain Clinic and have the Tech ask me if I am in pain [$50]

4. Go back to Kaiser and try to get approval for the injection [2 weeks]

5. Make appointment with Pain clinic for the injection [2 weeks]

6. Finally get the injection to ease my pain.

The entire process took almost six weeks!! All Kaiser would do is say this is "standard" procedure. Shut the car door on your hand and wait six weeks to get the door open and you would know what I went through!!!

I agree with the 0 stars opinion. Kaiser reminds me of kind of a "healthcare McDonalds." When I go in I feel as if I am just a number and am being herded through the system along with everyone else. I recently requested a specialist (Osteopath) for my problems because my family doctor would only prescribe me medicines and not find out why I was having the health problems I am. I requested to spend some time with the osteopath to get down to the root of my problem and I said specifically I DO NOT WANT MORE DRUGS or different brands of the kinds I already have. I got 5 minutes with the osteopath.. and more drugs. She told me to take two different brands of muscle relaxers every day and all these pain killers. I will not do it. All I ask is quality care with a doctor who will spend a little more time with me to help me determine the causes of my problem, instead of drugs to mask it up. That was too hard for them. I also do not like the fact that their specialists suck. and if I want to see a specialist outside of the Kaiser walls (say someone who will actually help me), Kaiser will not cover it. I can only get help with the Kaiser doctors, and I do not like any of them. Sure, they have a great system, but it is too "fast food like" when it comes to something as important as healthcare!!

OK. Kaiser should be prosecuted, in my opinion. I have never heard of a positive scenario involving any kaiser branch anywhere. case #1: 10 years ago my grandmother passed away. she was in decent health. No cancers, no previous heart problems. She died in her sleep. kaiser had her on 10 different meds a day. and then refused to pay for an autopsy to determine cause of death. Wasn't covered in her insurance and that seemed fishy to me. excellent way to cover up any wrong doing. So i started doing some research and talking to people about their exp. with Kaiser. Case #2: An acquaintance of mine was being prescribed pain meds for a bad back. He started to worry that he was becoming addicted to the meds so he went to his Kaiser doctor to discuss other options or maybe a treatment program that was theoretically covered by his insurance. Their answer was to change his prescriptions from oxycodon and vicadin to oxyconton. How is this even legal? These are just 2 of the horror stories i have had personal involvement in. PLEASE SHARE YOURS! I am appalled that their are no active checks and balances to protect the patients in this case. I have also heard that kaiser's doctors are not required to become actual doctors but are instead sent through a glorified pharmaceutical program so that they can start handing out prescriptions and generating money for the Beast! what is the price tag for our health kaiser? you should be ashamed of yourselves.... ALL OF YOU! DO THE RIGHT THING YOU COWARDS!

We applied for insurance in Sep 2008 but received a letter stating that we need to get a pregnancy test before we are approved. The letter clearly stated the Kaiser Permanente facility to visit and that the test would be at no cost to us. Few months after the test (which was requested by Kaiser and not by us) we received a bill for the test. On informing Kaiser they realized that the bill was sent in error and asked us to ignore the bill. Few weeks later we again received the bill. Even when we filled an official grievance with Kaiser our request was denied. We still have the letter that clearly states that the test would be at no cost to us and yet Kaiser won't stop from harassing us with bill *** we don't owe *** . We left countless message to the representative that processed our grievance with no response.

In short, if you are buying insurance with Kaiser be prepared for harassment.

i dont even want to give them a star it is by far the worst experience possible. i took my boyfriend to the Baldwin Park Kaiser in California because he was having massive abdominal pain. Mind you, he has been to 3 tours in iraq gotten 3 purple hearts has been shot multiple times, blown up so he definately can handle pain, anyway when he arrived the parking was horrible so i had to drop him off even though he really couldnt walk on his own, when he reached the ER they submitted him and while he was being escorted to his room he collapsed on the floor and began to throw up, the nurse turned around, and just looked at him waiting to see when he was finished, did not offer to help in fact they didnt clean up the throw up. we got there at 930 in the am and he was in severe pain and they ran all test possible, blood, urine, cats scan and they basically told him that there was nothing wrong with him so they were trying to get him discharged, i was outraged andhad i not been there my boyfriend would have left. however i told them that there is no way that this was in his head, and they needed to start giving him ample medicine to help ease his pain. it was not until that night about 12hrs later when the night shift came did the Doctor come and talk to us and i assured her that there was something wrong regardless of what the tests said. she believed he was in pain so sent to re due all tests. finally they realized that the morning shift did not properly do the cat scan, they hadnt done his full torso, so infact he was in pain because his appendix was bad and needed to be removed asap. he was admitted to the surgery department and was arranged to go under the next day. throug out our stay he was in severe pain and 90% of the staff were bothered at the fact that they had to bring pain medication, in fact they told him that its not that its painful but that he has low pain tolerance. they were rude, helpless, and a few times they were confused about what was going on. when it was time for him to be released we were trying to get the doctor order for him to be off work, and being that he is a police officer the doctors assistant promised she would have it ready and gave him 3 weeks due to his duties, when it came down to i there was no note, the nurse was rushing us out saying we would have to ask for it in a week for the follow up, and was bothered and laughed at my boyfriend when we asked to have a wheelchair to take him to my car, i personally thought that it was standard procedure when you under go surgery. so we waited an hour for the wheelchair and finally i was fed up and asked what was up, she said there werent any and she had called for one. that is when i let her know that it was ridiculous that they wouldnt automatically offer one and it shoud be standard procedure, ironically 5 mins later she came into the room with a wheelchair she said she had found by the stairs. even after the surgery my boyfriend was in pain and the pain medication they gave us would last two days after leaving the hospital if given on time, and being that he was in pain we did run out, so when i called to ask for a refill the nurs in recovery told me on the phone that there isno reason for him to be taking so much pain meds that the only reason he should be in that much pain is if he was dying of cancer! and refused to efill it, so i had to argue with her and finally she agreed to talk to the doctor which they agreed to refill it... all in all this sums it up there were more to comment on, but really after all this do i really have to? dont go to kaiser unless you plan on dying or having the worst time getting better.

I was with keiser on and off for 5 years. For 2 years I kept going in complaining of heartburn, bloated feeling and pressure in the abdoman. They kept insisting it was heartburn, gas, indigestion and insisted I needed more fiber and OTC Prilocec. Last visit, I told them, I have a terrible pain in my lower abdomen, they diagnosed a cyst and said wait a few months and it should resolve itself. 2 months later in January we switched to HealthNet. Went in, told the doc my symptoms, he ordered a CT Scan which showed a large pelvic mass, a week later I was in surgery and diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. 6 months later when the new doc got my medical records he said flat out "you were grossly misdiagnosed" Never ever would I recommend Kaiser to anyone. At least not if I valued their life.

I've never had any problems being seen by my doctor, nor have my chldren by their pediatrician. EVERYTHING always runs smooth, no long waits, they spend enough quality time with us, and extremely kind.

Worst. I been calling to get the name of a Primary care physician for the last 4 days and I never been able to get the information online because the website does not acccept the Medical Record Number I got on mail. I been given the run around from Member support to Website support untill I got tired and hung of the phone. Also their WebSite support person were rude and very unhelpful. They had an attitude of that we don't care....

o stars. They are terrible by making you wait over 45 minutes to be seen after your apptmnt time. The doctors always misdiagnose me, it takes me getting seen 5 or more times to get any relief or the rigth diagnosis.It is like pulling teeth to be reffered to a specialist, then you have to wait a month or more to be seen. The coverage is too expensive for the horrible service. urgent care is a joke. emergency room, forget about it you will wait at least three hours for nothing. oh and every time i go to be seen they try to tell me I am depressed lol....I think they try to push pills way to much instead of trying to figure out the underlying conditions first.

Allow me to vent for a moment. I absolutely despise Kaiser!! The doctors have no idea what they are doing!!! I have gone to see the doctors 5 times for a sinus infection and they all tell me the same thing. The nasal sprays don't work!!! I don't know how to get this across their heads!! The antibiotics they prescribe are not strong enough!! I have told them this time and time again. I still have this infection!! One doctor even told me that the headaches I have been getting are tension headaches caused by sitting at a computer all day. What a moron! Anyway, I have been trying to switch insurances for a while now, but no luck. I guess I am going to have to put up with them for just a while longer...

I am not pleased at all with Kaiser because they gave my 6 month old daughter some vaccines i specifically asked them not to give her. I am also very not pleased with their phone service because my daughter got a blood infection and i waited on hold for almost 2 hours in the middle of the night to get an ok to come into their urgent care.

I have been very impressed with the care I've gotten at Kaiser Permanente. Doctors call me with results, return my calls within a few hours, I'm able to order meds online and have them delivered right to my door, they do not skimp on expensive tests. Kaiser has had its problems, like any other hospital but overall I truly feel that I am getting excellent healthcare by a company that is well run and highly organized. One example: When you have a blood or urine test, they scan your membership card and bar coded labels automatically printout and are pasted on the sample -- no chance of a mistaken identity.

I had Kaiser Permanente insurance (Oregon) years ago and hated it. I re-entered their system a year ago and now am a believer. I have a great doctor, and have tken advantage of the on-line system...i.e. I can email my doctor(s) directly (bypassing staying on-hold and just leaving a message with office personnel, requiring a wait for another call-back) usually receiving a direct response from my doctor within a day, order prescriptions refills, etc. They have made a concerted effort to upgrade their patient services. They are, however, mindful of their pharmaceutical offerings.

Rated NO STAR ___ Kaiser pharmacy will charge $9.50 for ONE 10mg valium - A TOTAL Rip-off.

I would NOT receommend Kaiser (Kaiser Northern California i where i went). They have too much attitude.. They make you wait longer and after all that wait, the Doctor doesn't even have patience to listen to you.. They only try to give 5-10 mins to talk to you and if you keep asking questions, may be 15 mins.. and then the doctor stood up after my 15 mins discussion indicating that she wants to leave.. that sucks.. they made me wait 45 mins and she barely spent ~15 mins with me. And they don't care what you are going through and talk so irresponsible.. hate it.. can't wait for Dec 31st when i am switchin my insurance

I visited a Kaiser center today and was extremely displeased with the level of service I received. I explicitly stated from the beginning that I did not wish to be treated for anything other than what I'd come for, but the PA was adamant, disrespectful and aggressive in her demeanor towards my personal beliefs, ordering multiple tests that I feel are personally offensive, invasive and excessive. I expressed my beliefs several times, but in the end, I was ignored in favor of what she chose to believe. I would like to express how emotionally devastating it was to be treated as though my beliefs were unimportant to this person, who seemed intent on selecting what she felt was the proper way to treat someone she assumed had backward beliefs regarding their health care. I am shocked and genuinely offended by my experience with Kaiser. Patients ultimately have control over their own bodies, if this runs contrary to what Kaiser believes, Id like to know now.

I grew up in the northern VA (DC/MD) area. My experiences have been overall quite similar to all the other 1-starred reviews on this page. 5-8 hours of endless waiting to be seen; being told to "wait it out" for flaring symptoms; being prescribed unhelpful medication; being prescribed medication I was allergic to; in general a waste of time. I have been on this plan for the majority of my lifespan, and for the most part all I can remember are being prescribed tylenol and waiting for 4+ hours in waiting rooms. I believe one can receive very lucky breaks times with Kaiser, as I have a handful of met caring and intelligible doctors, although even they had admitted that they weren't allowed to do as much as they would like to in order to preserve my health. If new to the VA area, I would suggest you to only attend the Burke Kaiser; it is the only one which you may find yourself in the waiting room for less than 2 hours, and the pharmacists actually are on the job and will get your medication 5 minutes after you hand them the prescription (I've never understood why it would take 2 hrs to fill 30 pills at the other city centers.) In addition, Kaiser's supporting staff are either idiots who can't even complete simple addition/subtraction computations or illegal immigrants who can't speak English and won't check you in unless you speak their low-class "Mexican" Spanish. Calling Kaiser may direct you to a "nurse" although her job is to lifelessly spew out the simplest diagnosis of which can be treated with either OTC meds or 'waiting it out.' go ahead, tell them you have a fever, hives, blood in your urine, body cramps...they'll tell you it's the flu, go grab a bottle of nyquil and sleep!

good to have in an emergency, but overall nothing to brag about.

i've been a member at kaiser for roughly half my life span, initially in the s.f. bay area and now here in portland, oregon. during that time, i've only had one doctor who impressed me (a gynecologist) and she eventually was promoted upwards into a position where she didn't see patients anymore.

when i was 16, i mentioned during an exam that there was a lump in my armpit area which sometimes felt a bit swollen and painful. because it was literally the size of a pea and the doctor couldn't really locate it herself, she said that it was due to the monthly cycle and probably nothing to worry about. early this year, i had a routine physical and told the doctor that this same lump had grown, now to the size of a walnut. he felt it and said "well, if it concerns you then you should mention it to your gynecologist when you see her." he was, in essence, totally disinterested in helping me with any stated problems, gave the order to do blood work and when the results came back wrote on them "your levels (? which ones?) look a little low, should check again in 6 mos". that was the last time i've heard from him, and as apathetic as he was, good riddance!

the gynecologist was also lackluster and seemed disinterested. when i said that i wanted to be tested for -everything- as it had been over five years since the last time i'd had such exams, i really had to convince her that i needed them, and there was no way to get her to give me a referral to a dermatologist for my numerous small concerns. she simply said "well, they'll just give you what is already out on the market: soaps & ointments." she put in the request that i be referred to a surgeon regarding the lump, and that was the last i heard from her as well. from now on, it's Planned Parenthood all the way! at least, everyone i've ever seen at PP seemed interested in my well-being.

thankfully the surgeon was very on top of things, and the removal was all handled smoothly. make that two doctors who actually seemed to know their job, and not act like they were simply trying to convince you that you didn't need treatment in order to save Kaiser money.

ohyess, as a young adult i developed a rash on either side of my face. after going to the urgent care clinic, the doctor there claimed that i had impetigo and prescribed some ointment. six weeks, and three visits later with a different diagnosis (albeit the same doctor, which says something about her abilities) she finally referred me to a dermatologist, except that it would take 3 months of waiting to get an appointment. i did go in to see him, but by that time the rash had disappeared (my self-diagnosis: excema). the dermo makes an unfunny quip about "well, the first thing we try to cure you is to make you wait it out!"

not to mention that i was lectured once by a check-in nurse regarding my stated birth control method. i was, at that time, in a committed relationship and the method i was using worked for me, but she almost went out of her way to make me feel that i was doing something totally wrong, unsafe, etc. it gave me the impression that she was lecturing me more out of some sense of misguided morality than concern about my health.

i'd love to say that i would go elsehwere if this plan wasn't being paid for by the employer, but truthfully i've had a few experiences with other types of plans and they were even worse than Kaiser, if that is at all possible.

Wow! I just read a lot of people complaining about Kaiser, when I have only had amazing experiences. We live in Colorado, near Boulder. I recently had a baby and the prenatal care was free and very thorough. Birth was a great experience, at a great hospital, with great nurses and an amazing kaiser doctor. Three days after I went home with the baby, a lactation consultant from Kaiser came to do a home visit. She rapidly figured out my breastfeeding problems and did a checkup of me and the baby. The pediatrician is great, the nurses always available, I can contact all our doctors by email and they answer right away.
Last night my baby was vomiting. I didn't know what to do, I figure it was going to be a long night. I called the doctor around 8:00 pm to ask for advice. They called me back around 8:30 from the Children's Hospital in Denver. A nurse from the hospital asked me some questions. She had my son's file on her computer and could see all his information right away. She gave me some great advice and wrote a note to my pediatrician about our conversation.
A week ago I was feeling some ovary pain for a few days. I went to my doctor and in less than an hour, I got urine and blood work done, results back and was able to be diagnosed by my doctor. For all of this, I only had to pay my copay.
I'm from Spain, a country with universal health care. I've lived in the US for 8 years and Kaiser is my third health insurance. The other two were absolutely horrible. Doctors weren't doing thorough exams because they didn't want me to have to pay "unnnecessary" money. The birth of my first daughter costed me over $3,000 when I had a natural birth, with no anesthesia.
With Kaiser I feel I'm being taken care of. Everybody seems very professional and they don't try to save money or resources. They send reminders about vaccinations, cholesterol tests and other check ups. I have internet access to my medical records, lab work results, etc. I feel like finally someone is really taken care of me and my family. It feels more like the health care system back in my country.
I go to Kaiser Permanente in Denver/Boulder area. My primary doctors are in the Westminster Office. I definitely recommend Kaiser if you live in this area.

I had my baby at Kaiser (Redwood City) about 4 months ago and I had a great experience. I picked Redwood City and switched over to them from my other Kaiser area because they were the same distance from my house but they have a midwifery program. Not to say that I am totally anti-painkillers, cuz I am not, but I wanted to at least TRY to go natural and get encouragement from nurses and midwives in that way. They were great. They encouraged me to deal with the pain during my 40 hours of labor (half of which i spent in the hospital) by taking hot showers, by rolling around on the yoga ball (that big exercize ball you can sit on.. a must have during labor), and when I was at the point of exhaustion and almost collapsing, they encouraged me to lay down and take some medicine so I would have enough energy to push when the time came. They helped me make the best decisions for myself, and gave me great care before and after the baby was born. I want to commend the midwives and the nurses.. the doctor wasn't that big of a part of the whole thing to be honest. Anyway I recommend this hospital for any mothers-to-be out there.

After having the baby, they encouraged me and helped me breastfeed. They sent lactation consultants that were amazing and had worthwhile tips for me both days I was in the hospital after birth.

Overall I had a comfortable experience and the nurses were very caring and helpful.

We've been using KP for 10 years. We've had babies, my husband had skin cancer and a severe allergic reaction, our son had a lazy eye and speech problems and all the other things that happen medically in a family. We've always had quick phone responses from atleast a nurse who works with our Dr. They are attentive and helpful. We can talk to a Children's Hospital Nurse in the middle of the night by phone if we need to. We get in quickly to the Dr. or ER when needed and any urgent need is handled quickly and thoroughly. The only thing not covered was speech therapy for my son, but his evaluation was covered. We've been very satisfied so far & have been able to see the same doctors for regular visits the entire time we've been with KP. The doctors vary in communication skills, and there are some I like more than others, but overall, they are all well educated and have taken good care of us. We live in Colorado, I'm not sure where all these people with such bad experiences live, but maybe the problems they are bringing up are regional.

The most horrible health system, hospital, and from what I've heard EMPLOYER ever. I'm suprised they're allowed to do business as they do without eyebrows being raised for PUBLIC HEALTH issues. I had to sit in an emergency waiting room for four hours as my wrist was twisted in totally to the left with blood streaming out of it. They did not offer me a towel or a band-aid...and i'm suprised a hospital WOULD EVER let a patient openly bleed in a public area. And there were only 3 other people in the waiting room the entire time! I'm suprised they don't lose more money in their lawsuits than they earn for malpractice and neligegence.

Kaiser is horrible. My husband was originally seen for a suspicious mole and they did nothing. Two years later they finally decided to biopsy and he was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. The doctors told us if we had caught it early things may have turned out alot differently. I also had a few bad experiences with Kaiser. One time I had a rash and they told me I had HIV only to call me back a few days later to tell me the results were negative. Turns out it was an prescription allergy. Another time I had a breast lump and even after doing mammogram and ultrasound that confirmed a lump they did not want to do a biopsy. The worst thing that ever happened was showing up late for a colonoscopy and having them do it while I was totally awake. At one point I jumped to the other side of the gurney cause it hurt so badly. To this day I have a protruding stomach on the right side. No one checked me even after complaining about severe pain. I was told by the nurse it would subside. It did three weeks later! I only had two really good doctors during my membership but unfortunately the huge amount of bad workers made it a horrible experience.

I went to Kaiser re: an infection. The Dr was curt, but professional. That's where the "good" ends with Kaiser.

The Dr. prescribed antibiotics for the infection. Two doses, and one day later -- I'm having nausea & other issues. I do an online search & discover it's a common side effect for the antibiotic I'm taking.

I immediately call to speak with the Dr., and am told I can only leave a message. An hour later, a nurse calls back. The nurse proceeds to question my symptoms, but does so quickly... she rattles off a laundry list of adverse reactions, and then proceeds to ask if any apply to me.

I tell her she's talking too fast, and ask her to start over & allow me time to answer the questions. The nurse then proceeds to re-ask a couple questions, and starts to simply repeat what I'm telling her. The nurse never actually completely re-asks the questions.

The nurse says she'll speak with the doctor, and call me back. Two and a half hours later, I call Kaiser. Apparently 11:45 is a bad time to need a doctor/nurse since no one is answering.

Here I sit, on hold. The operator suggested I call back at 1:30. I tell her it's unacceptable. So, I ask for anyone who can write a prescription.

I've been on hold for almost 30 minutes.

I'd give 0 stars, if possible.

Kaiser is a massive bureaucracy ran by a bunch of robotic bureaucrats. They are not interested in keeping you healthy. They are only interested in getting you out the door as fast as they can. If only I had the choice to fire them. I really resent having little choice but these people.  I see this as the future of healthcare in America considering people like Hillary Clinton who are trying desperately to turn the entire American healthcare system into a massive government bureaucracy.

My elderly mother had a routine blood test at a Kaiser facility and about 4-5 hours later the area where the blood was drawn was swelling, bright red and starting to itch. I was worried but I thought it would be fine until morning. In the morning the majority of her arm was inflamed and hot to the touch so asked her to call Kaiser and get an appointment. I went to work (5 minutes away) and asked her to call when she got an appointment and I would take her to the Dr. No call back and so I asked her to call again. My sister came by to check on her and she called Kaiser, at which point the referral nurse told us that the office was very busy and we would have to wait. My sister explained that she worked at a hospital and checked with several Dr's and they all thought that it sounded like cellulitis and that she needed to be seen and that we were advised to take her to the E.R at which point we were told "good luck getting the claim paid" and "save your receipt". We took her to an urgent care center and found out that within 12 hours we would have had to hospitalize her. She is 72 years old and got a severe infection from a needle at their facility and we had to go to an urgent care facility for treatment. Way to go Kaiser.

I've had acne problems for more than 5 years, now I'm suffered with the scars and the redness and it caused. Trying all the products that cosmetics/retailers/TV offered, I decided to see a dermatologist. I went and tried to schedule an appointment, then I was told that I had to see a general doctor first (which first of all, is not interested at all at my well being, she's just trying to save money by giving me medicine that known didn't work, but keep trying).
Anyways, I had to struggle to convince her that I had to see a dermatologist, she finally agrees (what kinda doctor is that??).
Then I schedule my appointment, I had to wait 2.5 MONTHS!! I waited patiently, ready with all my questions, I didn't realize that it was a nurse, not even a doctor. She didn't answer all my questions, didn't know what microdermabrasion is!! then prescribed me something but has to ask her doctor to approve it. NO WAY!! How come a doctor can approve a prescription without even seeing my skin condition???

I asked the nurse if I can see the doctor, she said.. the doctor only sees skin problem that needs more extensive care. It translate to me "Your skin problem, is not Kaiser problem, and therefore, is not worth a doctor's time, I'll prescribe you antibiotics for 3 months, and we'll see what happens".
Unbelievable how Kaiser works.

0 out of 5
Kaiser cannot help patients using the system they have, which requires them to be both the doctor and the insurance company. They are not interested in paying money to help their patients, and so their patients are not helped. Being a patient with them has been a horrible experience, and if I could leave, I would.

It amazes me that Americans have forgotten the kind of health care (as opposed to insurance) we used to have. Our technology and understanding of health has improved, but we have completely lost the personal, caring concern that makes being alive worthwhile. President Bush continues to hold up Kaiser Permanente as his ideal for medical care in the United States. Why? Because of KP's loving care for its patients? Because KP has helped to erradicate physical and mental disease? Because KP leads in helping to curtail the horrible over-population problems of the planet? No. It is because KP nets enormous sums of money each year. After saying all that, I have to admit that I have been a "member" for nearly eight years. As a self-employed (irregular income), middle-aged American with some pre-existing conditions, it is difficult to get any coverage and--because I do have an income--impossible to get medicaid or other assistance given to those on welfare. So I have a "personal plan" with KP. I pay what I find to be for me extremely high premiums, and then I must meet my deductibles as well as pay (now $30) per visit--even though I can count on one hand the number of times in eight years that I have been allowed to see an acutal MD. When, as a new member, I first visited KP to find out why I was suddenly so incredibly fatigued all the time--with sudden weight gain, edema, hair and nail problems, etc.--I had several disappointments. The first was the interminably long wait to see the doctor. Another was the fact that, not only was I not assigned either of the two doctors I had requested in my application, I was not even allowed to see the doctor who had been assigned to me. I never thought of myself as an elitest before, but I felt (and continue to feel) that the "technicians" who take the vitals should be of at least normal intelligence. Perhaps I am not only an elitest, but also a racist or xenophobe because I feel the techs should be able speak something approaching standard English (yes, I am in the Atlanta area). The (American) man who weighed me said I was "too big for a woman" (I am a female, 5'10" and 150 lbs). Not believing what I heard, I asked him to repeat himself. He did so and added that some men like "thick booty"--something I still am not certain I understand. The woman who took my temperature and blood pressure also spoke a sub-standard form of American English, so when she began yelling at me in a state of great aggitation I assumed I had misunderstood something. It turned out she wanted me to follow her to the examination room, and I--still firmly in the grasp of the blood pressure cuff--was not doing her bidding. With great exasperation, she ripped the cuff off my arm and I followed her to the exam room. Upon meeting the "physician's assistant" I, perhaps rudely, asked if he was in medical school. He said that he had only had the training program required by KP, and this income was allowing him to pursue his professional golf career. I laughed, thinking he was surely joking with me, but he assured me that he was quite serious. After hearing my symptoms, the PA asked if I ever felt depressed or blue. I agreed that I felt very depressed, but felt it was due to my physical symptoms rather than vice-versa. Unconvinced, he told me to go to Behavioral Health and see a therapist. He said he would ask for blood and urine tests if that did not fix me up. I assumed (stupid) that as a professional the PA would know best. (To be continued)