The Kaiser Permanente California deadline for Individual and Family sales is this Sunday, May 23, 2010. This is the last chance individual and family health insurance applicants have to lock in rates for the first of the month (June 1st). Rates are going up next month (for those who apply for a July 1st effective date or later) on average around 5.3% in Northern California and 9.5% in Southern California (when compared to the current rates). Those who apply now will lock in their rates until January 1, 2011.

For applicants who do not mind starting their coverage mid-month, the last chance to lock in the current rates before they go up will be June 8th. Those who apply for a Kaiser Permanente Individuals and Families Plan for California by the 8th of June will be eligible to begin their coverage on June 15th. This will be the last chance to lock in the rates before they go up. These applicants will also lock in their rates until January 1, 2011.

Note: When comparing the new July 2011 Kaiser Permanente rates with the rates from July 2010, the rate increases are on average 12.5% for Northern California and 11.5% for Southern California.

Posted: May 21st, 2010 under California Individual.
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Kaiser Permanente’s online application, KPAOL, is undergoing upgrades this week. Due to these upgrades, the medical questions on any incomplete applications will be erased at 9:00 PM Pacific Standard Time on May 7, 2010. Anyone who has started an individual health insurance online application is encouraged to complete it by May 6th in order to avoid having their medical questions erased. Accounts with incomplete applications will still exist after May 7th and customers may still log back into their accounts to complete the application. However, if they have begun answering the medical questions, the answers to those questions will be erased, and they will have to re-enter the information in order to submit their application.

The official deadline is May 8th to submit applications for a May 15th effective date. However, we recommend submitting your application by May 7th before 9:00 PM Pacific Standard Time to avoid any trouble that may be caused due to the system upgrade on the Kaiser Permanente Apply Online System. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Posted: May 4th, 2010 under California Individual, Colorado Individual.
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Don’t forget about this new plan, the $40/$2000 Deductible Plan! Our top selling California Individual Medical Insurance Plans have been the $25 Copayment Plan and the $30/$15000 Deductible Plan. When customers have found the $1500 Deductible Plan too pricy, we have recommended the $40/$3000 Deductible Plan, which is more affordable. However, there is a new plan in 2010 that has benefits and pricing that fall in between these two plans, the $40/$2,000 Deductible Plan.

This new plan is very similar to the $30/$1500 Deductible Plan. Doctor visits and prescription drugs are covered right away with a copayment. Doctor visits are $10 more and obviously the deductible is $500 more (for individuals and $1,000 more for families). Individuals can save a little more money by going with the $40/$3000 Deductible Plan.

Families, especially larger families, may want to steer clear of the $40/$3000 Deductible Plan and opt for the $40/$2000 Deductible Plan. The $40/$3000 Plan is not offered as a family plan. You can apply for it for you family, but you will have to enroll separately for each member of your family. That’s a lot more paperwork and often more cost. You will billed separately for each member of your family.

If you have multiple children, you may find that the $40/$2000 Deductible Plan allows you to get better coverage at a lower price. Let me explain. On this plan you pay one price if you have one child and little bit higher price for two or more children. If you have one or two kids, you may wish to save money by choosing the $40/$3000 Plan. However, if you have more children, you may save money and increase benefits by going with the $40/$2000 plan because after adding two children there are no increased costs for additional children. On the $40/$2000 Plan, a family with two children pays the same price as a family with ten children.

Posted: February 16th, 2010 under California Individual.
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Rate Security for New Individual and Family Members for up to a Year 

Effective July 1, 2009, Kaiser Permanente will make available two enrollment rate periods for private plan enrollees. This will enable new California individual and family members to maintain the same medical insurance rates for up to one year.  Details are as follows:

• January 1 to June 15: For new clients who sign up for coverage that begins January 1st through June 15th, rates will change each year in January. In the past, this January rate change applied to all new enrollees. Now it only applies to new applicants who apply within this window of time.

• July 1 to December 15:  For new members who sign up for coverage that begins July 1st through December 15th, rates will stay unchanged until the following July. July 1, 2010 will be the first time rates will have changed mid-year for Kaiser California Individual and Family Plan members. This rate period only applies to new enrollees who apply within this window of time.

“This is especially great news for people who apply for coverage in November and December,” said John Hansen, spokesperson for KaiserQuotes.com.  “It used to be that their rates would change a month or two later on January 1st, which was terribly frustrating for these new enrollees. Now they don’t need to think about a rate change until July 1.”

With the new California individual health insurance parameters, clients will be able to lock in their rates for no less than six months and, in some cases, up to 12 months. New enrollees who begin coverage on January 1^st or July 1^st will lock in their rates for an entire year. Those who choose effective dates in June or December are able to lock in rates before the bi-annual rate change, but their rates are only locked in for about half of a year. 

“In the current economy, with people very concerned about their budgets, in particular the cost of healthcare, it’s wonderful to be able to offer clients this peace of mind,” said Hansen. “This helps them plan ahead and stay focused on what’s most important—their health and well-being.”

California health insurance rates will continue to reset for all members moving into a new age group the first month following their birthday. Clients who change plans will stay in their current rate change schedule regardless of when they make the change. 

Posted: June 19th, 2009 under California Individual.
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If you are interested in applying for a Kaiser Permanente California Plan for Individuals and Families, now is a great time to apply. Those who enroll in coverage for a July 1^st effective date can lock in their rates for an entire year. This means your rates won’t change until July 1, 2010. If you apply by June 23^rd, you will be eligible to get a July 1^st effective date and lock in your rates for one year. 

In the past, rates always changed on the 1^st of January. For example, in 2008 those who applied for July 1, 2008 had a rate change only seven months later on January 1, 2009. Those who applied for a November 1, 2008 effective date had their rates change only two months later. Now, anyone who applies for coverage that starts July 1, 2009 to December 15, 2009 does not have to worry about a rate change until July 1, 2010.  

This is good news for the many who have been frustrated with the constant rate changes and skyrocketing healthcare costs of other medical insurance carriers. With the economy in the state it is, people are trying to budget their money and keep their costs down. The same rates that were available January 1, 2009 are available for those who apply this month for a July 1^st effective date, and those who apply now can count on maintaining those same rates for 12 months.

Posted: June 15th, 2009 under California Individual.
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Recently, we had a customer claim that she was impressed with the Kaiser Permanente California Individual and Family 20-page application.  She was happy that it was “very clear” and gave well-defined parameters for how far back they wanted to know about her medical conditions. According to her, this is unlike Aetna’s application which asks if you have ever had any conditions in your lifetime. Kaiser limits the scope of the questions by adding a time frame. The application includes questions like, “Have you had _______ in the past 5 years.” This makes it easier for customers to complete their enrollment forms.  

Also, this happy customer was very appreciative of the service team at KaiserQuotes.com. She commented that other places she’d called just didn’t spend the time helping her with her concerns.

Posted: April 17th, 2009 under California Individual.
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When a baby is born, the child is covered by the mom for the first 30 days. The mother’s deductible (if applicable) and maximum out-of-pocket apply. A separate deductible/out-of-pocket max would not apply for the baby. 

There is an exception.  If the baby is enrolled before s/he is discharged, then a separate deductible and out-of-pocket max would apply for the baby also.

Once your baby is born, you have 30 days to apply for coverage for the child. Until this point the baby is covered on the mother’s plan. Click Apply for a Child Plan to enroll your newborn.

Posted: March 9th, 2009 under California Individual.
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Often, current Kaiser Members have to re-apply for individual medical plans. They may be leaving a group plan due to change of employment. Children who become adults or become ineligible for student health insurance under their parents’ plans may also need to re-apply. Currently, applicants in this situation must fill out the same 20 page application that new Kaiser Members must complete. In the future, Kaiser may provide a shorter application for these enrollees, but currently there is no such option.  

A customer recently complained about this issue: “I don’t understand the delay on applications for existing Kaiser Members who are forced to make a change due to age.  The applications are long and 95% of the information requested is information Kaiser already has access to and we do not.  Why are they asking for history from 10 years ago? This has been an annoying and frustrating experience.” 

I can sympathize with this applicant. She’s thinking, “I’ve been with Kaiser for years. They have all my medical records. They know the answers to all these questions. Why do I need to fill out this incredibly long application when the underwriters are just going to look at my medical records and make a decision based on what they have on file?” In light of this complaint, I sent a request up the line and found out that there is already discussion occurring on this issue. Kaiser Permanente may provide a shorter application in the near future for current members who are changing their coverage type. However, for now you must do the following:

• Are you changing from group coverage to individual? Re-Apply.
• Are you applying for individual coverage after becoming ineligible on your parents plan? Re-Apply.
• Are you upgrading your current individual coverage for a richer plan? Re-Apply.
• Are you downgrading your current individual coverage for a lesser plan? Fill out the plan change form.

Posted: January 30th, 2009 under California Individual.
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We finally have some good news! Underwriting is starting to catch up on the back log of applications. In the next few weeks, Kaiser Permanente California plans to get caught up to the previous processing times of two to three weeks. In addition, once underwriters catch up, they plan to continue moving forward and decreasing the processing times even more.

Just yesterday I received another complaint from an applicant for private health insurance. “Hi, Kaiser has taken long enough and I plan on filing a complaint. Please accept this email as my request to withdraw my application. There are other insurance companies that respond in an acceptable manner.” This customer is not alone in her aggravation. We are feeling the frustration of many customers who have had to deal with long processing times in the last two months. For those who got stuck in the backlog, this is probably little consolation, but for those who still plan to apply, hope is on the way. 

The Kaiser underwriting crisis has gotten attention at the highest levels of the Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company. Additional staff have been added and systems have been improved. In a day and age when competitors are processing health insurance applications much faster, Kaiser Permanente realizes that they have to be competitive in processing times and not just in quality of product and pricing.  

The addition of fast processing times will make Kaiser Permanente one of the most competitive individual and family health insurance companies in California. Currently over 1 in 5 Californians are Kaiser members and this statistic is expected to increase. The combination of high quality care, preventive medicine, affordable pricing and fast processing times will make competition with Kaiser Permanente very difficult for Blue Cross, Health Net and other carriers in the near future.

Posted: January 28th, 2009 under California Individual.
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A Kaiser Permanente California Individual customer recently commented, “I have been waiting for a response to my application for over a month.  I received a call yesterday stating that there was more info needed on my application. I was told that if I didn’t call back in 5 days my application would be canceled. I was on hold yesterday for 21 minutes and this morning for 30 minutes.  When I was able to get through to someone I was put on hold for 7 minutes.  She wasn’t able to help me and has put me on hold again.” During this busy time, customers are frustrated and Kaiser Permanente staff members are being pushed to the max.  

Where is the pain coming from?

1. Long Processing Times: Kaiser Permanente Underwriting is currently taking 6-8 weeks to process applications. New enrollment forms and processes along with increased interest in Kaiser health insurance has caused a huge back log.
2. I just found out that I was approved FOR LAST MONTH!!!: Due to the long processing times, applicants often are finding out a month or two after their effective date that they are approved and their coverage “began” weeks earlier. Not only that, they are expected to pay for this month of coverage that has come and gone. For example, a customer applied December 12^th for a January 1^st effective date. He found out on January 25^th that he has just been approved for January 1^st and he will have to pay for the entire month of January even though most of the month is passed (unless he changes his effective date, see below).
3. Difficulty Reaching Customer Service: Every year, this is a crazy time of year for Kaiser Permanente. However, this year things have been exceptionally difficult. Along with location changes and new hires, Kaiser has had to deal with the difficulties of launching a new online application. The application has over twice the amount of medical questions and as with any new software there have been plenty of kinks to work out.

How do I stop the pain?

1. Move Your Effective Date: Currently, Kaiser Permanente California is allowing new applicants to move their effective date forward up to 60 days. Take advantage of this so you don’t have to pay for coverage you didn’t really receive.
2. If Applying, Choose a Later Effective Date: Apply for an effective date that is 6-8 weeks into the future. This will allow you to find out your status before or at least near your effective date.
3. Call the Right People: If you are looking to enroll or change plans with Kaiser Permanente, call 1-877-752-4737 and select Option 0 to go straight to a live representative. If an underwriter calls you for additional information, use the phone number that he/she gives you. If you are already enrolled, call Member Services at 1-800-464-4000. You may want to call during less busy hours so it’s easier to get a live person. Avoid Mondays and Tuesdays. Also, you may have better luck calling in the mornings or later in the afternoon. It can be harder to get a live person when calling between the hours of 9:30 AM and 2:30 PM

Posted: January 26th, 2009 under California Individual.
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