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Kaiser to charge for lab test and xrays

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  • Kaiser to charge for lab test and xrays

    I'm pretty sure this is nation-wide (I need to check with my buddies at KP in California), but this is ludicrous. Their rationale is that charging a copay for lab tests and diagnostic tests like xrays will cut down on the number of "unnecessary" tests being performed.

    Um, I dunno about you, but I will not go get a blood test just because I like the feel of the needle pricking my skin. I will not go get an xray just to see what my bones look like. The people doing the unnecessary ordering are the Kaiser DOCs! The control should reside with the docs.

    Imagine this scenario: Your doc orders a blood test for you. You can't afford the $5 it would cost, so you don't have the test. Because you don't get the test, your doctor can't diagnose your illness. You get sicker. Then how much more will Kaiser have to pay out for your not having that blood test?

    I tried going to the Hawaii Kaiser website to see if I could find a customer service link for those of you who would like to complain, but the page is broken. So if I were you, I would get on the phone wikiwiki tomorrow and call their customer service line and complain loudly about this policy. Maybe if enough people complain (or even leave the system because of it, although I wouldn't advocate that) they will rethink this very shortsighted strategy.

    I work for an HMO up here, one that is governed by the patients (unlike KP, which doesn't have a consumer governing board), but I'm going to send this article to my CEO and ask him if this is something my healthcare system is also considering, because it's a stupid policy that will end up costing us more in the long run.

    This is your health, your life. It's a much more serious matter than what kind of car you're driving. One of the advantages of belonging to an HMO used to be that for one fee, you got all your health care taken care of. If HMOs start nickle and diming their patients like Kaiser, there will be no real advantage to being part of an HMO any longer.

    Miulang

    http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../bz/bz03p.html
    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

  • #2
    Re: Kaiser to charge for lab test and xrays

    Amigo, if you're in a self-employed plan like I am at Kaiser, these rates don't look so bad. Example: I have a 50% co-pay for all tests. That means I pay about $50 out-of-pocket for a basic blood test, and about the same for x-rays. My current monthly "dues" just went from $246 to $289 for just me.

    What I'm sayin' is, the group rates are great compared to the individual ones.
    http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

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    • #3
      Re: Kaiser to charge for lab test and xrays

      Originally posted by Linkmeister
      Amigo, if you're in a self-employed plan like I am at Kaiser, these rates don't look so bad. Example: I have a 50% co-pay for all tests. That means I pay about $50 out-of-pocket for a basic blood test, and about the same for x-rays. My current monthly "dues" just went from $246 to $289 for just me.

      What I'm sayin' is, the group rates are great compared to the individual ones.
      That's pretty sucky. My plan has a $10 copay per visit, and no copays for any labs or xrays. Of course, I also happen to work for the HMO, so I think my group plan is probably more generous than most other employers. But your individual plan sucks; is there a way you could join in with other small companies and negotiate a better deal?

      Miulang
      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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      • #4
        Re: Kaiser to charge for lab test and xrays

        If there was a way to get a list of all the individual plan members it would be worth a try, but I suspect Kaiser guards that with teeth.
        http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

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        • #5
          Re: Kaiser to charge for lab test and xrays

          Originally posted by Linkmeister
          If there was a way to get a list of all the individual plan members it would be worth a try, but I suspect Kaiser guards that with teeth.
          Do you belong to some kind of professional organization? And if there isn't one, do you have the energy to try to put one together? (the startup costs and energy required can be daunting, though). That's how self-employed individuals can get onto a group plan (at least that's what they do up here). Your rates should go way down if you can find 49 other individuals to join your "group". Even having 10 people in the same plan will reduce your rates. It's absolutely criminal what you have to pay. Stories like yours are the reason I went to grad school to get a Masters in Health Administration.

          Even though it smacks of socialism to some, basic health care should be a right and not a privilege for every American. It's not right that people have to choose between eating and their health care. With health care, you just have to know where to look and ask (or complain! ). The sad thing is more people worry about the model of their next car than they do about their health care...until they have to use it and then they are shocked to find out what they have (or don't have). You need to be a good consumer and question the policies of your HMO. Without patients, the health care system (and especially the HMOs) wouldn't exist, because we get premiums up front to try to keep you healthy as opposed to fee-for-service medicine, where they are more interested in getting you sick and making you pay to get better.

          Miulang
          "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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          • #6
            Re: Kaiser to charge for lab test and xrays

            And if the State has its way, all you HMSA customers will be getting a $100 rebate from HMSA because they have too much money in their "rainy day" fund! I don't understand how any healthcare organization can have a clear conscience, raising their rates while accumulating that much in their "retained earnings" (nonprofit lingo for "profit") bucket. Funny how they plead poverty and the necessity to raise rates 10-15% every year, yeah? When have your rates ever gone DOWN?

            Miulang

            http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../bz/bz02p.html
            "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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