Alternatives to Kaiser (August, Sutter: insurance, pharmacy, allergies)

[artillery77]

I've been growing unhappy with Kaiser more and more. I'm wondering if there are others that switched from Kaiser to another place and are glad they did.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by artillery77

I've been growing unhappy with Kaiser more and more. I'm wondering if there are others that switched from Kaiser to another place and are glad they did.

How do you "switch from Kaiser to another place"? You have to cancel your enrollement in Kaiser, and choose a conventional health insurer: Blue Shield/Blue Cross, Cigna, or whatever else is out there.

[Heidi60]

Before my husband retired we were stuck with Kaiser but once we became Medicare eligible we very happily dumped them, so it depends on your employer. El Camino Hospital is much easier to get along with and with Traditional Medicare, we chose who we want to trust with our health. Kaiser makes it seem like they doing a lot for their patients but one example is that their doctor's bonuses, at least when we were there, were based in part on the number of prescriptions they wrote. One could go broke with that! Ten years on, they are still sending ads trying to get us back, LOL.

Fear not, there is better out there.

[Futuremauian]

I have been a big fan of Kaiser here in Maui (Medicare Senior Advantage plan) until recently. After the Lahaina fire August 8th, I developed asthma and allergies. I have been to Kaiser doctors probably 20 times in the last 3 months and have yet to see any Specialists. All I have seen are Primary Care and Urgent Care doctors and P.A.s. They prescribe pills and inhalers, which aren't helping much. The only thing that seems to help me breathe is Benedryl, which isn't recommended for long-term usage.

The doctors have made referrals for me to see an ENT; Allergist; Pulmonologist; Gastroenterologist; and more. I also need an upper endoscope for an esophageal ulcer, activated by medications.

Most of these specialists aren't available with Kaiser Maui, so I just keep getting put off. I have requested that they send me to Honolulu where they have all of these specialists but my requests fall on deaf ears.
After a one-month wait, I am finally scheduled to see an ENT next week. The first Allergy appt. I could get is Dec. 15th.

With the lack of healthcare specialists in Maui, I have been told that I wouldn't be any better off if I switched providers.

I've asked for a complete workup at Kaiser Moanalua in Honolulu or a referral to Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins, for which I would pay a lot. No luck, so far. A Kaiser social worker was supposed to contact me 2 weeks ago, but it hasn't happened, so a second request was made yesterday.

Meanwhile, I stay indoors with A/C and air purifiers running and remain sick. Insomnia is constant.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to get Kaiser to act on my situation?

[artillery77]

Luckily for me I'm moving the company I've joined from a PEO setup to in-house and our parent co seems to have several selections. We'll keep Kaiser as an offering, but I'll be grabbing something else.

[artillery77]

Originally Posted by Futuremauian

I have been a big fan of Kaiser here in Maui (Medicare Senior Advantage plan) until recently. After the Lahaina fire August 8th, I developed asthma and allergies. I have been to Kaiser doctors probably 20 times in the last 3 months and have yet to see any Specialists. All I have seen are Primary Care and Urgent Care doctors and P.A.s. They prescribe pills and inhalers, which aren't helping much. The only thing that seems to help me breathe is Benedryl, which isn't recommended for long-term usage.

The doctors have made referrals for me to see an ENT; Allergist; Pulmonologist; Gastroenterologist; and more. I also need an upper endoscope for an esophageal ulcer, activated by medications.

Most of these specialists aren't available with Kaiser Maui, so I just keep getting put off. I have requested that they send me to Honolulu where they have all of these specialists but my requests fall on deaf ears.
After a one-month wait, I am finally scheduled to see an ENT next week. The first Allergy appt. I could get is Dec. 15th.

With the lack of healthcare specialists in Maui, I have been told that I wouldn't be any better off if I switched providers.

I've asked for a complete workup at Kaiser Moanalua in Honolulu or a referral to Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins, for which I would pay a lot. No luck, so far. A Kaiser social worker was supposed to contact me 2 weeks ago, but it hasn't happened, so a second request was made yesterday.

Meanwhile, I stay indoors with A/C and air purifiers running and remain sick. Insomnia is constant.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to get Kaiser to act on my situation?

There's no getting Kaiser to act. If there isn't a cheap pill for it, you're going to have to Thrive without it.

[Heidi60]

Originally Posted by Futuremauian

I have been a big fan of Kaiser here in Maui (Medicare Senior Advantage plan) until recently. After the Lahaina fire August 8th, I developed asthma and allergies. I have been to Kaiser doctors probably 20 times in the last 3 months and have yet to see any Specialists. All I have seen are Primary Care and Urgent Care doctors and P.A.s. They prescribe pills and inhalers, which aren't helping much. The only thing that seems to help me breathe is Benedryl, which isn't recommended for long-term usage.

The doctors have made referrals for me to see an ENT; Allergist; Pulmonologist; Gastroenterologist; and more. I also need an upper endoscope for an esophageal ulcer, activated by medications.

Most of these specialists aren't available with Kaiser Maui, so I just keep getting put off. I have requested that they send me to Honolulu where they have all of these specialists but my requests fall on deaf ears.
After a one-month wait, I am finally scheduled to see an ENT next week. The first Allergy appt. I could get is Dec. 15th.

With the lack of healthcare specialists in Maui, I have been told that I wouldn't be any better off if I switched providers.

I've asked for a complete workup at Kaiser Moanalua in Honolulu or a referral to Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins, for which I would pay a lot. No luck, so far. A Kaiser social worker was supposed to contact me 2 weeks ago, but it hasn't happened, so a second request was made yesterday.

Meanwhile, I stay indoors with A/C and air purifiers running and remain sick. Insomnia is constant.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to get Kaiser to act on my situation?

This is Open Enrollment so switch to a Traditional Medicare plan + supplement, we use AARP Plan F.
Have there been any class actions brought because of this? Government anything isn't always great but in this case, it sure beats corporate health care.
Best wishes to you and all who are going through so much.

[verrip1]

Kaiser cut off my geriatric wife's 2 codeine pain pills per day for osteoarthritis some time ago because of "the fentanyl epidemic".



Nobody will listen to her about how stupid this is. They couldn't care less about her pain level. Her PCP and orthopedist both say it's Kaiser policy for nothing but Tylenol for geriatric chronic pain.



Old people who are Kaiser patients do not thrive on pain. They do not thrive at all. Kaiser sentences them to a life sentence in the prison of pain.

[njbiodude]

Originally Posted by artillery77

I've been growing unhappy with Kaiser more and more. I'm wondering if there are others that switched from Kaiser to another place and are glad they did.

Sutter EPOs are similar to Kaiser if you like the overall integrated health system model. The only difference is you still pick up your meds at an affiliated pharmacy.

Otherwise any PPO plan (Cigna, Blue Cross etc) will let you go most places that aren’t Kaiser but the costs may be higher.

I work at a competitor of Kaiser now and no longer have their insurance. Personally I liked them just fine and got everything I needed done. I had an HMO though so had to be rude and advocate for myself more than a few times.

[BRinSM]

I have a PPO through my employer and use Sutter Health (PAMF) for most medical services, but had Kaiser previously for years. Getting specialist appointments is way easier on the PPO than Kaiser. Specialist availability isn't always immediate, but you don't have to fight to get approved just to make an appointment.