You currently are a Kaiser Permanente member through your work, but for whatever reason you’re leaving your job, and you still want to have Kaiser health insurance coverage. In this case, you have 3 options:

1. Private Health Plan: This tends to be the least expensive route. You can get free online health plan quotes in thirty seconds by filling out a simple online questionnaire. If you are in good health, this option is probably your best bet. Call 1-877-752-4737 for more information. If you have serious pre-existing health conditions, you may want to try options 2 or 3.
2. COBRA Coverage: Contact your employer or call Member Services at 1-800-464-4000 to get on COBRA coverage. You should be able to keep the same plan you are currently on. You will pay more because the employer will no longer be contributing to your monthly premiums. You can be on COBRA for up to 18 months, 36 months in some cases.
3. Conversion Plan: Your third option is to convert your group plan to private coverage with a Conversion Plan. Due to the fact that this does not require medical underwriting, it may be a more pricey way to go. Call Member Services at 1-800-464-4000 for more information on Conversion Plans.

Choosing a Private Health Plan is usually the most affordable way to go. However, if you currently have health conditions that might cause you to be denied coverage on a private plan, you may want to look into options 2 or 3.

Posted: September 29th, 2008 under Kaiser Permanente.
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Kaiser Permanente members have access to discounts on health related services through the Affinity Program.  For example, KPIC members receive more affordable rates on chiropractic an acupuncture services. Through this program, Kaiser members gain access to the following:

• Chiropractic, Etc.: Regular rates are decreased by twenty-five percent for Kaiser members on acupuncture, massage therapy services, and chiropractic. Members may select from a 20,000 provider network across the United States.  
• Fitness Clubs: KP Members receive preferred rates at participating fitness clubs. Across the country, over 4,400 health clubs participate.
• Online Health Store: Free Shipping at Online Health Store: Kaiser members are not charged shipping when they purchase products from Healthyroads.com. This online health store sells health and nutrition products including aromatherapy products, yoga-related products, skin care products, herbal supplements, vitamins, and homeopathic remedies. You will find over 2,400 brand-name products related to your health online. Also, this website offers books, videos and fitness equipment.

To get more information call the Affinity hotline, administered by the American Specialty Health Plan department for members, at 1-877-335-2746.

Posted: September 24th, 2008 under Kaiser Permanente.
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A customer recently asked about the Kaiser Georgia HSA Plan B. She asked, “Can you give me more information regarding the Kaiser Permanente HSA B Plan for small business? Also, please explain the difference between the HSA and HMO health insurance plans.”

Startup companies may find the HSA Plan B to suite them well. This plan offers affordable monthly premiums and a low out of pocket maximum. The key difference between the HSA and HMO Plans is how the deductible is structured.  Under the HMO Plan, doctor visits and medications are covered at the get-go.  With the HSA Plan, you have to pay full price for all Kaiser health care (services such as physician visits, prescription drugs, etc.) before your coverage kicks in.  For more information and plan benefits, click HSA Plan B.

Posted: September 22nd, 2008 under Georgia Group.
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Jennifer had recently applied for a Kaiser plan. She and her family were going on a big hiking adventure just days after her coverage would become effective. However, she had not heard back from Kaiser Permanente underwriting regarding the status of her application. Jennifer asked, “What if something happens on our hike? Will I be covered?” She had applied later in the month, just before the 23^rd-of-the-month deadline. With underwriting taking 3-4 weeks to process applications, she would not find out whether she was approved until a couple weeks after her effective date.  

Jennifer wondered, “Could I get denied for something that happened after the effective date?” The answer to this question is no. If Jennifer got hurt on the hike, she would not be denied on her application for that injury. As long as the injury occurred after the effective date, it would have no bearing on her approval. 

Also, Jennifer asked, “Will my Kaiser health plan cover any medical care I need if I’m injured on the hike?” Yes, the plan (according to the plan’s benefit structure) will cover healthcare related to such an injury as long as two conditions are met. First, you must not be denied coverage for pre-existing health conditions that developed before your effective date. Second, you must be sure to pay your full first month’s premium.

Posted: September 19th, 2008 under California Individual.
Comments: none

A customer asked, “If I apply and am accepted as a Kaiser participant, am I OBLIGATED to accept?”  She wanted to get a quote and complete the Kaiser Permanente California Application Process for Individuals and Families to see if she would be approved. However, she wasn’t sure if she was going to enroll with Kaiser Permanente.  She figured that if she was accepted and the premium was right in comparison with other carriers, she would probably stick with Kaiser, but she was afraid that if she went through with the Application Process that she would be obligated to take the plan if approved.

We had very good news for her, which in turn we will share with you: No, you are not obligated to keep the plan. Once you are approved, you have 30 days to cancel your coverage. So, if your effective date was October 1^st, you would have until October 30^th to cancel the policy. If you call 30 days or less from your effective date and cancel, your coverage will end and you won’t even have to pay the first month’s premium. If you cancel just after 30 days, you would only have to pay one month’s worth of premium.

In short, once you decide on a plan you can submit a membership application, and if approved, Kaiser will enroll you in the plan. However, even at this point in time, you have the option of canceling the plan for any reason whatsoever without having to pay a monthly premium as long as you cancel within 30 days of your effective date. From then on, your coverage is month to month and you can cancel at any time.

Note: If you use your coverage within the first 30 days and then cancel it, you may be subject to extra fees for the health care services rendered.

Posted: September 9th, 2008 under California Individual.
Comments: none

What if I want to enroll my children, but I am not applying myself? Can I put my children on the same application? Can I enroll the kids on a family plan? Or, do I need to fill out separate applications for each child? 

When applying for Kaiser Georgia Personal Advantage plans for more than one child, each child must be on a separate application. They will each have their own application. Two or more children (when parents are not applying) cannot be on a family plan. When filling out the applications for your children, each child will be listed as the subscriber on the application. The bill for your monthly premium will come in the child’s name. Also, if the subscriber is a minor, only the child’s SSN is needed.

Posted: September 8th, 2008 under Georgia Individual.
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We went back to Kaiser Permanente today to find out the gender of our baby. We went to Kaiser medical imaging for the sonogram. They charged me $50 which surprised me. I thought this was covered under prenatal care which is free for us on our plan.  The lady kept saying, “There is a $50 Copay.” We’re on the $0/$1500 Deductible Plan with HSA, which has no copayments, so I was confused. I questioned the lady at the register a couple of times. She really didn’t know how all the plans worked, so she encouraged me to talk to member services. I haven’t done that yet. I went ahead and paid the $50, and we went in for the sonogram.

On the way in, I actually prayed we’d get a nice person to work with. My previous experience with Kaiser Permanente medical imaging wasn’t so good, but this lady ended up being friendly and helpful. She kicked up the sonogram machine, put the gel on my wife’s belly and then we got to see our baby. She measured the head, the spine, the waist and more. I had a hard time telling what body parts were what, but she was patient and explained things to us. Our baby had his/her legs crossed. First they were crossed at the knees, and later they were crossed at the ankles; the legs never opened up. Our medical imaging tech aimed the sonogram machine from lots of different angles, but our baby kept those legs tightly together. All that to say, we still don’t know the gender of our baby. My wife was bummed. We did really appreciate the effort that the lab tech went through. She said it’s not too often that she is unable to tell the gender of the baby. I guess God just wants us to wait. He’s going to teach us a little patience.

Posted: September 5th, 2008 under California.
Comments: none

My wife and I are Kaiser Permanente members and we’re having a baby! We’re actually half way to our due date, which is January 30, 2009. We’ve visited the doctor twice and we’re going again tomorrow. Tomorrow we find out if we’re having a boy or a girl.

Our first visit ended up taking most of our day, which I believe is a bit atypical. We had a sonogram. The lady who did the sonogram was very warm an friendly. We saw a healthy baby and we were happy. I was wondering if we might see twins in there, but only one kid. She also found a sist. She didn’t know if that was serious or not so she scheduled us to meet with a higher level sonogram tech that afternoon to check it out. She went on to plan out our doctor visits with us.

In between visits my wife cried. She was worried about the sist. I was so glad we were able to get the follow up exam that day. The higher level sonogram tech was not very friendly and rather cold, but she did assure us that the sist wasn’t a big deal and that our baby should be fine. My wife missed her first visit with the actual doctor. We were assigned a doctor that deals with the tougher cases because of our “sist issue”. My wife hasn’t been remembering things quite as well since she got pregnant, and when we met with our doctor he was very understanding. He was friendly, understanding and helpful. Beyond that, he had an English accent. Very cool! He assured us more that everything was progressing fine. Tomorrow, we go back to the doctor and find out if we’re having a boy or a girl. Personally, I’m hoping for a girl.

Posted: September 4th, 2008 under California.
Comments: none

Due to the Labor Day holiday, the deadline for Kaiser Georgia Personal Advantage Enrollment has been extended to today, September 2, 2008. Individuals and families looking to start coverage for September should apply today. After today, you will need to wait until October 1st for your coverage to start. If you wish to apply today, please choose the “Pay By Credit Card” option to make sure your coverage is not delayed. Click Get Quotes to view Kaiser Permanente Georgia Individual and Family Rates, or click Apply to enroll.

Posted: September 2nd, 2008 under Georgia Individual.
Comments: none