Kaiser Permanente Consumer Reviews - Page 3

KAISER PERMANENTE, VIRGINIA -- It's 2020. I'm 26 and my spouse's employee insurance changed to Kaiser. The transfer has been awful. They don't cover most the medications I'm on and one of the most important medication for pain they won't cover so it costs nearing 400 dollars and insurance won't cover any amount of the cost. I've been on this medication for a long time now. I'm having tons of pain and suffering. Been to 3 doctors who will do nothing to help in this regard. It's upsetting to say the least. I guess my life just doesn't matter... I want to be the best mom I can be not just lie in bed in agony all day but that's what you get for having Kaiser. Anyone considering it and you have a choice, don't get Kaiser, your very well being may be in jeopardy.

WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA -- As a patient, Kaiser doctors couldn't, or wouldn't, diagnose my malformed heart valve, 2 hernias, or a torn ACL despite already having an MRI which proved it was torn. As a paramedic, I could only watch Kaiser kick a patient out of the ER, only to run a code blue on that patient an hour or two later. You can't sue Kaiser if they mistreat, or refuse to treat you. Unless you die, or can prove their negligence led to multiple cardiac arrests, while they call you an anxiety patient. They suck and should be put out of business by healthcare regulators. Except they probably use most of your money to pay off regulators, and advertise for new customers.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- Went to Kaiser's Urgent Care clinic. Was told that I had lingering respiratory problems due to past cold. I requested antibiotics and doctor refused. Only gave me inhalers for asthma. A week later I see my primary care doctor at 2238 Geary Blvd and was told the same thing. He wouldn't provide antibiotics and I had allergies and maybe asthma. A few days go by and coughing gets worse! I call back fuming and told off nurse and said I was going to clinic to get antibiotics and finally she gave me phone appointment with a doctor.

So when this doctor called me back he did approve an antibiotic and said it was a sinus infection. Then he proceeds to tell me my doctor was well trusted in the infectious disease field covering his **. I'm leaving Kaiser! They suck! I hope every state and Federal regulators read this post. The Antibiotic is working. This could have been worsened if I didn't get antibiotics! KAISER PERMANENTE IS A BANDAID INSURANCE PLAN ON A GAPING WOUND!

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- I've had trouble with them since the beginning of the year. I pay my premium online and they say I didn't pay. In January, I paid - they said it didn't go through. I paid again and then both payments went through. Then I had to wait 10 days for a refund which was $845, not exactly a few dollars. I paid again in February with a debit card. This time they said the payment was declined when I showed it went through on my bank statement. And I called my bank to confirm. They can't find the money so according to them I didn't pay.

I've called them about 10 x - have been on the phone with them around 8 hours. The CSRs are no help. I knew someone at the Atlanta corporate office so I actually got someone specific to call... again, not a lot of help. I've faxed my February bank statement 2x and after 5 weeks, no resolution. Unbelievable. This is their fault yet I'm the one who is getting screwed.

REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA -- I've had a bad experience with the nurses being rude and walking away when I was talking to them. I went in for a ** shot but the nurse told me I wasn't due and I was trying to show them from my log in my last date of injection. She became angry and showed me the schedule from a binder on how often ** shots should be given. I was trying to explain that I was aware of schedule but that's when she walked away and then returned to tell me the dates that I was there. I agreed with the date and the last date was when I was given the injection. She clicked on that visit and seen that I received my injection then.

She never apologized and didn't make eye contact with me. Kaiser is supposedly big on preventative care and no co payment when you have a physical. I went in for a physical and was telling the Dr. that I was having pain. I later received a fee for co-payment fee and was told that because I expressed a pain that I was having at that time it no longer became a physical so therefore I was responsible for the $25 co payment. They are trying to take money any way they can and that with the high monthly fees that I already pay.

VACAVILLE, CALIFORNIA -- I have documented multiple, horrid experiences that we have had with KP. Most recently, I took my brother-in-law who has paraplegia, dementia, and mental health issues in to the ER for suicide watch and they placed him in a board and care in the slums of Sacramento. When I went to check on him the next day, he was near death. They didn't treat him, they dropped him in a hell hole to die. I took him back last night and they finally admitted him.

When we were in the ER, the security guys were outside of his door and kept saying out loud, "Crazy," while laughing. Then after that when the doctor said she was going to give him meds to calm him down, they laughed and said, "You are gonna sleep tonight." Like they were making fun of him. When I called this morning to see where they placed him, the ER Admittance said, "He is at Freemont." When I asked if that was the city or the name of the place, she told me to, "Google it," and hung up on me.

He has dementia, yet they refuse to treat him for it, they act like it doesn't exist. He is gravely disabled, yet they continue to put him in a non-assisted living environment where people steal from him, stalk him, scream at him, where there is no supervision, no help, no food, and puts him in an extremely dire and dangerous situation. I have countless of other documented, recent horrible, encounters of their lack of quality care and in fact, abuse of patients. I have tried everything I could think of but am tired and growing weary. I can't fight the giant that is Kaiser.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- They keep sending me the bill that I paid long time ago by credit card, and neither multiple phone calls, nor sending mail helped to resolve the issue. Now they are threatening me with the collection agency. That's insanity. One phone call should have been enough to resolve an issue like that. And that's not the only issue, it's just the one I am still fighting with at the moment, although I am no longer their client, and I will never ever chose them as my insurance provider again, and I will warn as many people as possible on all the review sites that I can find, to stay away from them.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- I am finding that with Kaiser Permanente I am getting a band-aid for my chronic back pain, and I am dismissed by their medical staff if I tell them their efforts are not providing long term care. The system is designed to avoid fixing expensive problems and seems to only put short term band-aids on big issues and they kick the can down the road at the patients' expense.

The cost of their saving money is the pain and suffering of their patients. I wish I had a better option in healthcare but my corporate plan is 2 thousand out of pocket a year or Kaiser Permanente which cost less but you definitely get less care. The issue is how they avoid cost at the suffering of their patients. If you have no healthcare issue, it's a great plan but with chronic pain issues, this is the wrong plan. You will only get a band-aid not a fix for your problems, due to the high cost of providing the best possible outcome for pain. It's not cost effective.

TUALATIN, OREGON -- This is why I HATE Kaiser Permanente. I left them under ACA, but had to return this year. Have a Lupus Rx I have to refill monthly. Started trying weeks ago. Now basically out. They finally fit me into my former primary care today. Actually had a great, encouraging visit. Even though they were an hour late seeing me. Then another 30 minutes by which point the Dr had left since it was after 5pm. Pharmacy finally has the Rx, but at retail, which is like $300. Saying they wouldn't pay for it. Mind you, my records indicate that I have filled EXACTLY the pre-reqs they require. Which is why, under the EXACT same health record # in 2015 & earlier it was covered. But their billing dept isn't looking at that, or the scanned documentation that originally facilitated the approval. Even after the pharmacist's third call where she told them she can see it. KP billing just parrots off that I will have to wait through an appeal process. The poor pharmacist was caught in the middle, and the Dr can't be reached. I AM TIRED, FURIOUS AND DEFINITELY NOT "THRIVING" UNDER KP. Don't get me started about my multi-year battle with them over Sjogren's being medical not dental.

BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA -- I need surgery on my ankle, because the Bakersfield location has unskilled personnel. They force people to drive two hours south at your own expense. Because you will not be able to drive yourself back a relative will have to take time off work, you will need to set this person up in a hotel and pay for meals. If something was to go wrong during surgery, your out of pocket cost for this person will climb. I have tried to get Kaiser to let me see a local surgeon but all they will say is this person is not a contract doctor.