Kaiser Permanente Insurance

As one of the leaders in the health care industry, Kaiser Permanente offers an extensive network of physicians and hospitals to its members, along with some of the most comprehensive benefits available. Kaiser Permanente offers coverage for current and former federal employees throughout the country; additionally, the company provides health insurance for individuals and families in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Ohio. Kaiser Permanente has provided public health care coverage for over sixty years; at its inception, the company was mainly concerned with providing care to the workers who constructed the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Grand Coulee Dam. In October 1945, however, Kaiser Permanente elected to make its health care coverage available to the general public in Northern California where the company was located. By 1955, Kaiser Permanente boasted over 300,000 members; its success was due in part to the steadfast support of the labor unions that primarily constituted its original membership rolls.

Today, Kaiser Permanente has been cited by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and numerous other experts and commentators as a model system for providing quality health care. Kaiser Permanente was one of the first health care systems to embrace computerized medical recordkeeping to improve patient care, and has consistently received above-average ratings by independent reviewers and patients who receive care through the system. Kaiser Permanente’s integrated patient care system allows members to take a more active role in their own healthcare decisions and provides incentives for physicians and patients to work together in determining the best course of treatment.

Kaiser Permanente offers a number of different plans for individuals and families as well as a number of employer-sponsored options. For families, copayment plans offer predictable, fixed out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits, prescriptions, and other procedures with no deductible to meet. Deductible plans feature lower premiums, but require that individuals and families meet a fixed deductible amount before any benefits can be paid; however, preventive services are often available at a reduced rate even before the deductible is met. HSA-Qualified Deductible plans combine the popular deductible plan with Health Savings Accounts to help members better plan for and control the expenses related to medical care. Medicare Plus plans are also available from Kaiser Permanente and supplement the insurance provided through the Medicare program. The Part D pharmaceutical benefits provided by Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare Plus plan can save senior citizens thousands of dollars on the cost of their prescription medications and hospital stays.

By focusing on wellness rather than illness and incorporating modern technology into traditional patient-care systems, Kaiser Permanente physicians and facilities can provide higher quality care at a lower cost than many other health insurance providers. Kaiser Permanente’s success is attributed in part to the company’s core philosophy, which emphasizes the prevention of illness and the promotion of health, rather than traditional treatment-based models of patient care. Patients can conduct many routine medical transactions online, from emailing physicians to viewing lab results over a secure connection. This convenience encourages Kaiser Permanente members to take a more active role in their own health care, promoting better health and providing a solid basis for medical decisions in the future.