To the editor: Thanks for the article by Melody Petersen about Kaiser (“Kaiser made $9.3 billion last year. Critics say it has strayed from its charitable mission,” March 29). I’m aghast — and indignant.
I’m a longtime Kaiser affected person, and have observed a discount within the degree of care out there in current occasions. Years in the past, it took about two weeks to get an appointment with a health care provider. Now, it’s a three-month wait to get an appointment to see certainly one of my treating docs. I assumed there was a scarcity of docs within the U.S., and attributed a few of the wait to that issue.
In the meantime, members of the West L.A. location on Cadillac Avenue should pay $10 to park if their appointments last more than an hour.
Federal and state prosecutors needs to be pushing additional to search for the discrepancies between its good points arising from its tax-free standing and its expenditures, and whether or not legal guidelines are being damaged. Absolutely Kaiser may have employed extra docs to take care of the present affected person load. I’m greater than dissatisfied.
Diann Dumas, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I’ve been a Kaiser affected person for 20 years and have been happy with the care I obtain. When my husband was dying, the employees couldn’t have been kinder, they usually made up a mattress for me to remain the evening.
I’ve observed over time that it does take longer to get care. It took two months to get an appointment to see my coronary heart physician for a routine checkup and after I mentioned I’d go to pressing care if I had a problem, I used to be advised to try this.
What has shocked me is the price of a little bit greater than $100 to offer me a flu shot. This was not for the treatment itself, however for a licensed vocational nurse to manage the shot, which took two seconds. As a retired nurse, I’ve given a whole lot if not 1000’s of pictures, and this isn’t a extremely technical talent. There was no cost to me, but it helps me perceive why the price of healthcare is so excessive.
For the previous couple of years, I’ve thought of altering well being plans. I really like my docs so haven’t modified — but. Maybe these are commonplace expenses no matter well being plan.
Sharon Westafer, Lengthy Seashore
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To the editor: Enforcement actions by the Division of Well being and Human Providers focusing on the inflation of medical diagnoses for billing functions have been carried out in opposition to quite a few for-profit and not-for-profit well being plans, together with Kaiser Permanente. Criticisms from medical plan staff and sufferers and studies of failures to supply applicable and well timed providers are widespread to all well being plans.
Shoppers of well being providers vote with their ft, looking for out the very best return for his or her buck. Kaiser’s built-in well being mannequin, emphasis on preventative care and administration of continual illnesses has resulted in a gentle growth in membership and a excessive retention price. Kaiser is constantly at or near No. 1 general in high quality scores, yr after yr.
Having spent 27 years working at Kaiser Permanente as a doctor, I had the chance to see it steadily enhance the standard of providers delivered to its members by recognizing its shortcomings and implementing corrective measures. For anybody who has skilled medical providers supplied by Kaiser versus different nonprofit or for-profit suppliers, which do you favor?
James Wight, Altadena
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To the editor: “Properly, you possibly can at all times go to pressing care” is what I’ve heard a number of occasions when the earliest attainable appointment out there with my main care physician is in three months. Curiously, the final time I went to pressing care, the receptionist was capable of make an appointment for me with my main care physician that very same week. It’s an infinite bureaucratic system and it’s important to know how you can sport it, and I do. I nonetheless can’t get appointments in a well timed trend.
My main care physician has greater than 2,200 sufferers. Plainly’s the norm at Kaiser. Absolutely the $73-billion monetary reserve Kaiser has is sufficient to rent extra docs and extra nurses!
Ellen Butterfield, Pasadena
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To the editor: Kaiser Permanente is stuffed with expert, caring docs, nurses and help employees. Nevertheless, one thing is critically fallacious with its means to assist members in a well timed trend. My sister and I each broke bones in an accident greater than two weeks in the past and are nonetheless awaiting assist from specialists. That is no method to deal with sufferers and particularly these with pressing wants.
Lynn Dickhoff, Topanga
