Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa, in an effort to be culturally relevant and linguistically accommodating to Kaiser Hispanic members, opened up the Latino Clinic in early October, 2008. The clinic is located in Suite 130 of the Medical Office West Building (MOB West). All health care staff working in the Latino Clinic speak English and Spanish. They have also had training in Hispanic cultural issues including beliefs, values and preferences of Latinos related to medical care.

Physicians on Staff
Currently, there are four doctors working in the Latino Clinic: Dr. Carlos Garcia, Dr. Colleen Foy-Sterling, Dr. David Pastran, and Dr. Greg Nunez. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays one of these doctors will always be available in the evenings until 8:00 PM. In the near future, Kaiser Santa Rosa hopes to extend the hours of the Latino Clinic to include Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. You may request evening appointments at the Latino Clinic by calling (707) 393-4044.

Spanish Enrollment Forms
Click Spanish Application to download the “Kaiser Permanente Aplicación en Español”. All information and all medical questions are in Spanish for your convenience.

Posted: October 31st, 2008 under California.
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Kaiser Permanente offers Durable Medical Equipment (DME) coverage for small groups in California. All small group plans cover base equipment like canes, crutches, and wheelchairs. Only the three higher end plans, the $5, $15, and $20 Copay Plans, cover formulary equipment like C-Pap machines and other breathing apparatuses. By law, all small group plans cover prosthetic and orthotic devices. For more information on Durable Medical Equipment and small business health insurance coverage from Kaiser Permanente, call 1-877-752-4737 and select option 3. A group benefits specialist can assist you with your DME questions and make sure you get the medical insurance coverage you need.

Posted: October 29th, 2008 under California Group.
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1. Does the plan cover durable medical equipment? 
Yes for base equipment, such as canes, crutches, wheelchairs.
However, formulary equipment, such as C-Pap machines and other breathing apparatus are not covered.

2. Does it cover prosthetic and orthotic devices?
Under law, all group plans cover these.

3. Are eye exams and hearing tests covered under this plan?  If so, how much per visit?
Yes.  $30 for doctor visits; $10 for lab

4. Does the plan cover allergy injections and immunizations?  How much?
Yes; it’s free.

5. Does the plan cover physical and occupational therapy?
Yes, for $30.

6. What does the $400/day inpatient cover? (room & board, surgery, anesthesia, x-rays, lab tests, medications?)
All of the above, plus the doctor’s services, supplies, and therapies.

7. Is that $400/day copay until the maximum out-of-pocket reaches $3500?
Yes

8. Are non-formulary drugs covered?  What about mail order prescriptions?
No, non-formulary drugs are not covered.
Yes, prescriptions by mail are covered.

9. Does the $10 copay cover all outpatient laboratory and radiology costs?
No. High tech radiology services, like MRI’s, PET, CT scans are $50.

Posted: October 27th, 2008 under California Group.
Comments: none

Are your monthly premiums too high? Kaiser Permanente is offering a special Open Enrollment Period for small groups who want to switch to a deductible or an HSA plan.

In these tough economic times, many small businesses are looking for opportunities to save money. Kaiser Permanente realizes that money is tight for many businesses right now and they do not want to lose customers, so the Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company is making this special opportunity available. Usually, members on a group health plan can only switch plans once a year at the regularly scheduled Open Enrollment Period. However, now until December 15^th small businesses have this special opportunity to downgrade to a lower-premium deductible plan.

For businesses looking to downgrade modestly, they may want to switch to the $1500 Deductible Plan or the $1500 Deductible Plan with HSA. If switching from a copayment plan, you will notice considerable savings. If you just want to go with the absolute cheapest plan, you may choose the $0/$2700 Deductible Plan with HSA or the even more affordable plan, the $30/$2700 Deductible Plan with HSA. Usually, we recommend paying just a little bit more to get the $0/$2700 Deductible Plan with HSA because the out-of-pocket maximum is much lower on this plan than the $30/$2700 plan.

Posted: October 21st, 2008 under California Group.
Comments: none

Acupuncture discounts and services are available to Kaiser Permanente members through the ‘Choose Healthy’ program. Click the following link for more information: http://www.choosehealthy.com/choosehealthy/?hp=KSRNCA9. The Choose Healthy Website is easy to use and will help you learn about the providers in your area and the discounts available. You will also find discounts on gym memberships, exercise equipment and nutritional products. 

The Kaiser version of the Chiropractic Plan through ASH covers chiropractic services only. It does not cover acupuncture. For small groups on the $15 Co-payment Plan, chiropractic is covered through the Chronic Pain Clinic.

Posted: October 20th, 2008 under Kaiser Permanente.
Comments: none

Acupuncture discounts and services are available to Kaiser Permanente members through the ‘Choose Healthy’ program. Click the following link for more information: http://www.choosehealthy.com/choosehealthy/?hp=KSRNCA9. The Choose Healthy Website is easy to use and will help you learn about the providers in your area and the discounts available. You will also find discounts on gym memberships, exercise equipment and nutritional products. 

The Kaiser version of the Chiropractic Plan through ASH covers chiropractic services only. It does not cover acupuncture. For small groups on the $15 Co-payment Plan, chiropractic is covered through the Chronic Pain Clinic.

Posted: October 20th, 2008 under Kaiser Permanente.
Comments: none

The Kaiser Permanente Santa Teresa Medical Center has changed its name to the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. Kaiser Permanente assures its members that the only thing that is new is the name. Kaiser will maintain the same high quality care in this medical facility as they have had in the past.

San Jose area has had rapid growth in Kaiser Permanente membership. This medical facility now serves nearly 200,000 members. The name change is meant to reflect this growth and demonstrate Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to the health of the San Jose community. The hospital is still located off of Santa Teresa Boulevard. Rather than being named after the street, the medical facility is now titled to reflect the area that it serves. This facility is a leader in spinal care and genetics and currently has 248 beds, 345 doctors (fluent in 19 languages), and 1200 support staff.

Posted: October 16th, 2008 under California.
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Carolyn and I went to our first maternity class at Kaiser Permanente last night. For a husband of a pregnant wife who is having his first child, it was time well spent. When we first got pregnant (And yes, I said “we”. We are definitely in this together.), we started reading books and talking to people about the whole process of pregnancy and giving birth. Now that we’re half way to our due date (January 30^th), I was due for a refresher course. 

However, this was far more than a refresher course for me. I really learned a lot! First, we did an ice-breaker. Our instructor, Faith, had us share our name, due date, number of weeks pregnant, whether we knew the gender or if it was going to be a surprise, and what we wanted to get from the class. I heard that doctors tend to give more c-sections around 5:30 PM at night, so they can get home to dinner. I didn’t want that happening to my wife, so I brought it up in the class. Faith assured me that this would not be the case with Kaiser Permanente because they have doctors and mid-wives on duty twenty-four/seven.  

It was fun hearing about everyone’s pregnancy. You have a tendency to start comparing. “Hmmm… she’s not as far along as my wife, but she’s quite a bit bigger…” Yeah, I did start thinking thoughts along those lines, but our instructor encouraged us not to compare. “You all are different, and your babies are going to grow at different rates.” Faith described all the different body parts used in the birthing process. She made a rather graphic topic very informative and fun to listen to. 

There was so much practical information, I could write pages and pages, but I’ll give you the highlights. We learned a handful of do’s and do not’s about pregnancy. Do eat nutritional food and do drink 64 ounces of water a day. Baths are OK as long as they’re not over 100 degrees. Hot tubs are not ok. She went over what labor would be like and told us about the health care specialists we will be dealing with such doctors, nurses, mid-wives and perhaps a doula. Faith explained the risk factors for pre-term labor. Apparently, ages 19-37 are the safest years to have a baby; there is greater risk for older or younger women. Faith also mentioned other classes we should take on topics such as Exercise and Nutrition in Pregnancy and Breast Feeding, and she covered intriguing subjects like mood swings, sex while pregnant and Kegel exercises. Great information and a lot of laughs. I’m telling you; this is not a class you want to miss!

Posted: October 15th, 2008 under Kaiser Permanente.
Comments: none

Carolyn and I went to our first maternity class at Kaiser Permanente last night. For a husband of a pregnant wife who is having his first child, it was time well spent. When we first got pregnant (And yes, I said “we”. We are definitely in this together.), we started reading books and talking to people about the whole process of pregnancy and giving birth. Now that we’re half way to our due date (January 30^th), I was due for a refresher course. 

However, this was far more than a refresher course for me. I really learned a lot! First, we did an ice-breaker. Our instructor, Faith, had us share our name, due date, number of weeks pregnant, whether we knew the gender or if it was going to be a surprise, and what we wanted to get from the class. I heard that doctors tend to give more c-sections around 5:30 PM at night, so they can get home to dinner. I didn’t want that happening to my wife, so I brought it up in the class. Faith assured me that this would not be the case with Kaiser Permanente because they have doctors and mid-wives on duty twenty-four/seven.  

It was fun hearing about everyone’s pregnancy. You have a tendency to start comparing. “Hmmm… she’s not as far along as my wife, but she’s quite a bit bigger…” Yeah, I did start thinking thoughts along those lines, but our instructor encouraged us not to compare. “You all are different, and your babies are going to grow at different rates.” Faith described all the different body parts used in the birthing process. She made a rather graphic topic very informative and fun to listen to. 

There was so much practical information, I could write pages and pages, but I’ll give you the highlights. We learned a handful of do’s and do not’s about pregnancy. Do eat nutritional food and do drink 64 ounces of water a day. Baths are OK as long as they’re not over 100 degrees. Hot tubs are not ok. She went over what labor would be like and told us about the health care specialists we will be dealing with such doctors, nurses, mid-wives and perhaps a doula. Faith explained the risk factors for pre-term labor. Apparently, ages 19-37 are the safest years to have a baby; there is greater risk for older or younger women. Faith also mentioned other classes we should take on topics such as Exercise and Nutrition in Pregnancy and Breast Feeding, and she covered intriguing subjects like mood swings, sex while pregnant and Kegel exercises. Great information and a lot of laughs. I’m telling you; this is not a class you want to miss!

Posted: October 15th, 2008 under Kaiser Permanente.
Comments: none

Need health care in Sandiego? Individuals, families and groups in San Diego, California who are interested in getting Kaiser medical insurance may want to visit http://kaiserquotes.com/california-health-insurance/san-diego.php. You’ll find both private and group Kaiser San Diego health plans. You can get free quotes online rather quickly. The website also offers live support over the phone or through online chat.

Kaiser offers a wide variety of plans for the San Diego area: 8 plans for individual and family coverage and a lot more for groups. They also have those new HSA plans which allow you to open a health savings account. These are pretty popular because of the HSA potential as well as the low out of pocket maximum. For Individuals and Families, my top picks are the $25 Copyament Plan, the $1500 Deductible Plan, and the $1500 Deductible Plan with HSA. For small businesses, I recommend the $30 Copayment Plan, the $1500 Deductible Plan, and the $1500 Deductible Plan with HSA.

If you call the toll free number and press 0, it goes straight to a person, which I always like. If you are looking for Kaiser Permanente San Diego health insurance for your business, call the number and press option 3 so you go straight to a KP San Diego group health care specialist.

Posted: October 13th, 2008 under California.
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