Az's equivalent of Kaiser Permanente? (cost, Walmart, phone)

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by Sunaimer

Wow! Are they paying for the best of the best coverage? What are the prices of Health insurance if one retires before age of Medicare and living on savings?

If you have to ask, you don't want to know. It's brutal, and sometimes makes me sorry for retiring early.

[PhoenixSomeday]

I do miss one-stop-shop Kaiser. Take the kid to the pediatrician on the first floor, wife sees OB on second floor, I go to checkup on third floor, then we come back down to the first floor to the lab for a quick blood draw, then across the hall from there to the pharmacy for a prescription. 1 hour, done and out. Every job I ever had back home offered Kaiser as one of the health benefit options. Usually around $50-$100 / month for all that.

Over there, were that stuff to be scheduled in one day (no way), that's at least a half day, probably more, to factor in having to drive all over one's part of the valley to accomplish the same thing. Then there's the endless googling to see if this place 10 miles away is any good, then does this place and that place take my insurance, then wait for 1/2 hour when getting there because everyone doubles and triple books these days as if they're an airline, etc.

I do love living here, but damn I miss Kaiser whenever healthcare enters the picture. I must say though, the urgent care thing is cool. I don't remember those back home. If they have them, they were eclipsed by the awesomeness of Kaiser.

[RoseRooney]

I live in the Bullhead City/Fort Mohave, Arizona area. I WISH we had an equivalent to Kaiser-Permanente. We were covered by Kaiser for years in California. There is a terrible shortage of doctors. We have had some serious issues trying to obtain care, and some of them were caused by incompetent medical practices. It's really "scary", and almost enough to make me move back to California. This opinion is based on my own experience, but I would hesitate to move here if I had a serious medical condition.

[Adamson865]

I had Kaiser for years, including Kaiser Dental (which was in Oregon but maybe not in all of Kaiser's territory).

My experience over the decades was that Kaiser's specialists were great, but getting past the gate-keepers was an arduous process. Just getting an appointment for a front-line primary care doctor took an act of Congress, much less getting a dental appointment.

[wase4711]

If you're not retired, and on Medicare, and plan on moving to Arizona, be prepared for heath care sticker shock..nothing like Kaiser out here, and, the plans that are here, are incredibly expensive..

[Hal Roach]

Harbour Freight Tools?

[mjfadaway]

Maybe consider Colorado instead? Kaiser is all over the Denver area.

[gemstone1]

"The Burden of Medical Debt" A Kaiser article.

[DougStark]

I had Kaiser in So Cal for years. My only complaint was their pharmacy lines were VERY long. I hated all that waiting in line.

Too bad they don't open a branch here.

[motormaker]

Originally Posted by DougStark

I had Kaiser in So Cal for years. My only complaint was their pharmacy lines were VERY long. I hated all that waiting in line.

Doug, they have made major improvement in that area. Wail times reduced. I still use the mail option.