Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with kaiser

Will Kaiser health insurance pay for a knee brace? Subsidize it?

jstef — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:25:13 -0800

Will Kaiser health insurance pay for a knee brace? Subsidize it? I had an ACL operation two years ago (two replacements, actually) while insured by Aetna. My doctor told me the insurance would help pay for a functional brace, but that I should wait a few months to let my muscles grow again.

Two years later, I have insurance with Kaiser, and I am only now returning to full activity. Do you think there's any chance they'll help subsidize the cost of a CTi brace or equivalent? Will this prior condition not be covered? Anyone have experience in this department?

Thanks!

From Kaiser to Blue Shield: what's a newbie to know?

curagea — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:44:11 -0800

Going from Kaiser to Blue Shield - what's the transition like? What (not) to expect? I recently got a job whose employer only has Blue Shield medical plans. Since birth, I've been covered by a Kaiser family plan, but since I'm no longer a dependent child, that is set to expire at the end of this month. So really, other than getting my own insurance, which is kinda dumb when the employer plans are pretty generous, I don't have much choice.

In transitioning to Blue Shield, how different is it from Kaiser? I've done a bit of research, even found this question, but I'm still a bit in the dark about Blue Shield. How easy is it to see a specialist like a psychologist or ob/gyn? What frustrations and perks will I get with BS that Kaiser doesn't have? Can I expect the same quality care I have now?

For reference, I never had any problems with Kaiser, except when my dad's employer changed plans to a deductible version, and even that wasn't too much of a big deal for me. Kaiser even has free classes for things like social anxiety and depression, which I really needed at some point. I never got anything serious like a broken bone or illness worth worrying about. Finally, the fact that Kaiser has that all-under-one-roof convenience meant I could see a doctor then pick up my meds right afterwards - a big plus since I don't have a car and could save a trip.

Anyone went through a similar transition? What are your experiences? Should I go for HMO or PPO (if location makes any difference, I live in San Jose suburbs, work in San Francisco, and hope to move to Oakland by the beginning of next year).

How would a big HMO like Kaiser handle a pandemic?

salvia — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:39:46 -0800

I'm sure Kaiser Permanente and other major HMOs have plans related to a potential pandemic, and how they would try to protect their customers' health and/or minimize financial losses. Have the plans themselves been published or leaked? Has anything summarizing those plans been published anywhere?

Kaiser, Blue Shield, or Cigna HMO in Northern Californai?

names are hard — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:53:26 -0800

In Northern California, which is the best: Blue Shield, Cigna, or Kaiser (All HMO). I just started a new job (San Francisco) and get to choose from these three. I had a blue cross/blue shield PPO on the east coast, but I know they often vary by state. It seems like this question hasn't been answered for a bit, so what has people's experiences be.

Also, they will all cost the same, so that is not an issue.

Can you diiiggggg it??????

Large Marge — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 22:21:58 -0800

My friends and I are going to start a low down dirty east bay motorcycle gang (we just need bikes!). Where can we get sweet jackets and where can we get them embroidered with our gang name (headless skulls!) and how much should it cost? Bonus question: where do we find kaiser helmets?

Does Kaiser in SoCal cover travel vaccinations?

mr_roboto — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:41:39 -0800

Are travel vaccinations covered by Kaiser in Southern California? I'm doing some travel this summer that'll require Hep A, Hep B, and typhoid vaccinations, in addition to a course of antimalarials. I'm insured with Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, but I cannot get a straight answer out of their phone bank as to whether or not any of these are covered. Hep B is briefly mentioned in their literature as being "recommended" for adults, but again there's no description of coverage.

Anyone have any personal experience with this?

Health Insurance in Austria (US Citizen)

anonymoose — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 08:40:23 -0800

Talk to me about health insurance in Austria for US Citizens (Or useful anecdotes about healthcare in Europe in general) I'm thinking of moving to Austria for 2-3 years (and coming home during the summers). I have Kaiser right now.

Questions
1 - I'll of course be checking with membership shortly, but if anyone has had experience with using Kaiser overseas, what was it like?

2 - Is there any way to get insured through Austria? I hear they have good healthcare for their citizens. Is that even true? If so, can I get access to that?

3 - If I should stick with a US health plan, can I do better than Kaiser as my provider (since the supposed benefit to Kaiser, and the reason they're fairly expensive, is that you 'get' to use Kaiser hospitals)?

I'm in my 20s, basically healthy, but have done easily tens of thousands of dollars of tests for a functional bowel disorder that have all come back negative. Dont know if that hurts or helps me in terms of switching providers (I've clearly been ridiculously expensive in the past, but that's all proven that I'm basically healthy..)

How do I find live music by up-and-coming bands in my area (NYC)?

kenzi23 — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 22:40:57 -0800

How do I find live music by up-and-coming bands in my area (NYC)? I'm getting interested in some indie bands and want to see them play, but they have already gotten big and are playing only in bigger venues. How do I find bands before they get big in small venues for not much money? And specifically how can I find bands of a particular type and where they are playing locally?

More specifically I'm interested in bands like the Arctic Monkeys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Maximo Park, Editors, Kaiser Chiefs etc. The are bands that don't really fit any particular category so it's hard to search by category, but if I can find a website that can help me find similar bands playing locally, that would be great! I am in the NYC area.

Great Doc for A Woman at Kaiser in L.A.?

Scram — Sun, 28 May 2006 09:54:13 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good, woman-friendly physician or nurse practitioner at Kaiser-Permanente's Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles facility? When I signed up for Kaiser years ago, I was assigned to a nurse practitioner who was so good, I never bothered to pick a personal physician. Now she's been promoted and no longer will be seeing patients, and I have no idea who to see for my (happily very infrequent) medical needs.

Since I mainly go to Kaiser for annual pap smears, I'd like to find someone who another woman can vouch for, ideally a practitioner open to alternative treatments and who is kindly and a good listener. I ran into a couple of absolute jerks there (two physicians and a nurse) when I was seeking non-hormonal birth control, and would like to avoid a repeat of that experience.

I reckon I'd be willing to go to a different L.A. Kaiser facility for a great doc, but Sunset and Vermont is ideal. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

My experience vs. medical tests-- I lose.

Shoeburyness — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:59:15 -0800

AsthmaFilter: I feel like I can't breathe. My asthma care nurse says my lung function is better than normal-- how can this possibly be? Had it for 20+ years, currently on Qvar and Albuterol, just went to the asthma care nurse on Monday. The visit raised more questions than it answered. She said the tests revealed I have better lung function than the average numbers for a 35 year old woman. I don't understand this, because I feel like I can't breathe even when I'm supposedly breathing better than normal. My peak flow meter indicates I'm still in my "Green zone" (80% of full capacity or above) when I'm gasping like a fish out of water. I feel chest tightness, have wheezing when I breathe out very hard (i.e. when measuring peak flow), and just generally have the feeling I can't breathe. I doubt it's a panic attack because I don't feel panicky, and I have had panic attacks in the past and this does not feel the same.

I keep running into a wall with all these people (Kaiser docs and nurses), because they all have an attitude of "We don't give a crap how YOU feel your symptoms are, we did a test and what the test says is far more important than anything YOU have to say."

After a 7 year ordeal of:
1. thinning hair &
2. other symptoms of hypothyroidism so blatant that every doctor and nurse I ever met immediately asked me when I had last had my thyroid checked, and
3. being refused thyroid pills based on the results of the tests, and
4. having all my hair grow back when the test finally came back "right" and someone finally deigned to give me some damn thyroid pills...
I don't really trust test results so much. I don't deny that they are useful, but I don't think they should trump the experiences of the person that the illness is ACTUALLY HAPPENING TO.

I'm having trouble even looking this up, because I don't know what the hell it's called when you feel that you can't breathe but your lung function is apparently fine. Googling false/illusory shortness of breath/SOB/dyspnea in all its iterations turns up nothing useful. Any idea where I can find out maybe what this is and if it's serious or not? The asthma care nurse was very dismissive when I told her I still felt short of breath regardless of the tests. Any idea how I can get the doctors and nurses to actually listen to me? (Besides not going to Kaiser, I mean... that's not a possibility right now.)