Kaiser Permanente and "pre-existing" conditions

[EightFingers]

Does anyone know if anyone has been turned down or were charged higher rates for high blood pressure as a "pre-existing" condition? The person we talked to at K.P. is unsure about it. He also couldn't find anything about flights to O'ahu for treatment and what percentage they reimburse.

[rainshadow]

Ask someone different.
If KP is your provider you should be able to hit their website, log into your account, and figure out some specific contact info for your question, other than 'the person' you spoke to (flights especially, that's a pretty common question). There's a lot of people there; not all of them know what is going on.

-- rainshadow

[pslamont]

Kaiser has a Hilo clinic for primary care. Kaiser pays for flights to Oahu and provides a shuttle van from airport to hospital where specialty care facilities are provided ( like MRI, Neurology, etc). Sometimes doctors from those specialty offices come to Hilo also. They will also pay for a companion to fly with the patient if needed according to the doctrs office who arranges for your travel to Oahu. For example, I am ery weak and travel as a wheelchair patient and they pay for my husband to escort me. Hoe that helps.

I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says

"Oh Crap, She's up!"

[birdmove]

My wife has been flown twice to Oahu for tests. The first time they paid for me to go too. They do provide shuttles. No complaints from us. But my Doctor is quitting. He isn't leaving the island, but is going to work for someone else.

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[Lee M-S]

When Kaiser sends me to Oahu, I have to call their travel department, and they make the reservation and pay for the flight. Get a copy of the shuttle schedule and make your appointment 15 minutes or so after the shuttle arrives, otherwise you may be waiting for an hour or more.

Incidentally, that's a corporate account, so if you get done early enough to catch an earlier flight, there should be no extra charge, just talk to the people at the airline kiosk.

FYI, they won't pay for flights if you don't like the specialist they send here, and opt to visit a better one on Oahu.

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Aloha spelled backward...think about it.
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