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
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
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