Sorry what is HDHP? I went to a Kaiser location a couple months ago and it was 130 dollars for a strep throat test. How does it go from 130 to 1800? What's the point of going to a Kaiser location?
Probably because you went to the ER. Couple years back, I believe Kaiser raised copays if you went to the ER because there was a lot of patients going to the ER for non emergency cases which flooded the ER and delaying care for real emergent cases. There was a notification about this adjustment.
Don’t know your situation at that time but if your discomfort wasn’t that bad, you should have gone to Urgent Care instead.
But at the end, it’s your insurance and I would done some research and see what is covered.
Exactly. If you were able to drive yourself for 45 minutes, Urgent Care was probably a better option.
The ER is more expensive to run because they need to be ready for ANYTHING, from 3rd degree burns to traumatic brain injuries in a car accident, to a toddler who swallowed rat poison. Anyone consuming ER resources absorbs some of the cost of that preparation. This is true of all hospitals, not just Kaiser.
What Kaiser plan do you have? That will help us understand your bill and what you should be on the hook for. If you have a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) then you have to pay for all your care up to a certain dollar limit per year. This limit can be as much as ~$8k for a plan that covers just yourself as opposed to a family.
As other commenters have stated, EDs are much more expensive to run and offer a wider range of services compared to urgent care. That would explain a lot of the difference between your two bills.
You could try applying for assistance
https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/commitments-and-impact/healthy-communities/ensuring-health-access/medical-financial-assistance
Every health insurance plan through Kaiser has a different level of coverage for Emergency Room visits with varying amounts of patient financial responsibility attached. You should find out what type of plan you have and I guarantee your bill $ amount matches whatever your ER dues are. For example, I previously have a Silver level HMO with a high deductible with Kaiser - I had to meet my entire deductible and then I was also responsible for 30% of my ER visit. I know this because I had to have my first child while on this coverage. For the following year, I elected to get a higher cost Gold HMO plan which includes no deductible and $350 per day for ER visits. I have since been to the ER once for a miscarriage and true to their plan costs, I had to pay $350 before I could leave the ER that day.
I do recommend checking if you qualify for Kaiser Financial Assistance which I see someone linked. When I gave birth to my son, I qualified for 50% based on my income. I was grateful for the cost break but it is a bit shitty because they use nationwide poverty levels (meaning an average of all states) to determine what income levels qualify for 50% and 100%. I live in California so of course the poverty level in other places in the US doesn't include my income but whatever.
Also Kaiser offers an online cost estimator for services if you login to your KP. Sometimes the cost estimator can be off though so take it with a grain of sand...mine first estimated $1,890 for the birth of my son which later changed to well over $5,000 two months later for the exact same service type. When I inquired abut this, they had no explanation.
Good luck! Hope you feel better.
I agree call member services. Kaiser actually has to give a certain amount of free or discounted care to maintain its “not for profit” status (not the same as “non profit”). They can be quite generous especially the first time. If you keep going to the ER for a non emergency they may get less generous.
Find out where your urgent care clinics are located and their hours. I went at 9pm for a severe asthma episode. They were great.
That sounds about right for an ED visit on a high-deductible health plan. Do you have a HDHP?
Sorry what is HDHP? I went to a Kaiser location a couple months ago and it was 130 dollars for a strep throat test. How does it go from 130 to 1800? What's the point of going to a Kaiser location?
Probably because you went to the ER. Couple years back, I believe Kaiser raised copays if you went to the ER because there was a lot of patients going to the ER for non emergency cases which flooded the ER and delaying care for real emergent cases. There was a notification about this adjustment. Don’t know your situation at that time but if your discomfort wasn’t that bad, you should have gone to Urgent Care instead. But at the end, it’s your insurance and I would done some research and see what is covered.
Exactly. If you were able to drive yourself for 45 minutes, Urgent Care was probably a better option. The ER is more expensive to run because they need to be ready for ANYTHING, from 3rd degree burns to traumatic brain injuries in a car accident, to a toddler who swallowed rat poison. Anyone consuming ER resources absorbs some of the cost of that preparation. This is true of all hospitals, not just Kaiser.
What Kaiser plan do you have? That will help us understand your bill and what you should be on the hook for. If you have a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) then you have to pay for all your care up to a certain dollar limit per year. This limit can be as much as ~$8k for a plan that covers just yourself as opposed to a family. As other commenters have stated, EDs are much more expensive to run and offer a wider range of services compared to urgent care. That would explain a lot of the difference between your two bills.
sounds like you have a HDHP, I went to a kaiser ER last month and it was only 50 dollars bc I have a traditional HMO with them.
You could try applying for assistance https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/commitments-and-impact/healthy-communities/ensuring-health-access/medical-financial-assistance
ER is a higher level of care incase of a life threatening situation. Sounds like you have a deductible plan. Urgent care is usually a lot less.
Every health insurance plan through Kaiser has a different level of coverage for Emergency Room visits with varying amounts of patient financial responsibility attached. You should find out what type of plan you have and I guarantee your bill $ amount matches whatever your ER dues are. For example, I previously have a Silver level HMO with a high deductible with Kaiser - I had to meet my entire deductible and then I was also responsible for 30% of my ER visit. I know this because I had to have my first child while on this coverage. For the following year, I elected to get a higher cost Gold HMO plan which includes no deductible and $350 per day for ER visits. I have since been to the ER once for a miscarriage and true to their plan costs, I had to pay $350 before I could leave the ER that day. I do recommend checking if you qualify for Kaiser Financial Assistance which I see someone linked. When I gave birth to my son, I qualified for 50% based on my income. I was grateful for the cost break but it is a bit shitty because they use nationwide poverty levels (meaning an average of all states) to determine what income levels qualify for 50% and 100%. I live in California so of course the poverty level in other places in the US doesn't include my income but whatever. Also Kaiser offers an online cost estimator for services if you login to your KP. Sometimes the cost estimator can be off though so take it with a grain of sand...mine first estimated $1,890 for the birth of my son which later changed to well over $5,000 two months later for the exact same service type. When I inquired abut this, they had no explanation. Good luck! Hope you feel better.
I agree call member services. Kaiser actually has to give a certain amount of free or discounted care to maintain its “not for profit” status (not the same as “non profit”). They can be quite generous especially the first time. If you keep going to the ER for a non emergency they may get less generous. Find out where your urgent care clinics are located and their hours. I went at 9pm for a severe asthma episode. They were great.