This is my first post to this site. I was so excited when I found it. Having read through many of the posts, I can see what a valuable resource this is!
My grandson was diagnosed a year and a half ago with Type 1. He is soon to be 13 and he has always lived with us, so we are very involved in his care. Diabetes has changed our lives!
One difficult area has been with his medical insurance. We have an individual policy on him that we have had for over 5 years. We chose not to cover him as a dependent through our employer because the monthly premiums were so high. When we took out a policy for him, we chose a policy with low premiums, high deductibles and co-pays. At the time, he was a healthy kid who seldom saw the doctor, so the policy made sense financially.
However, since he was diagnosed with Type 1, the cost of the meds is putting a huge dent in our month-to-month cash flow. We were considering Kaiser, but we know nothing about their track record in caring for juvenile diabetes. Also, our family doctor (who has treated our grandson since he was an infant) gives excellent care, with that personal touch that only long-term family doctors can give.
Bottom line, I was wondering if anyone out there has experience with Kaiser in treating Type 1 diabetes. Of course we want the best possible care for our grandson, and realize that his health is more important than any amount of money. But at this point, we feel we should research our options. I would appreciate any input you may have.
Thanks.
Hi, I am new to this group as well, but have been diabetic for 23 years, and have had Kaiser for all of my adult life. Kaiser experience varies depending on how affluent of a city/town you live in-richer Kaisers have more resources for their patients and generally nicer facilities. However, I have generally have had MUCH better experience with Kaiser than with any of the private doctors I grew up going to because they have a more realistic understanding of what is plausible to acheive as a diabetic (e.g. HBA1c levels) than private doctors because they see so many more people. They also have more group support options than privates. That being said, they are a huge corporation, and you have to finagle your way around the system, and your issues can get lost, unlike when you have someone that knows you personally and truly cares for you. At about year 21 into my diabetes, going to Kaiser, I finally had someone congratulate me for my HBA1c levels instead of telling me that I needed to improve, as every family doctor had up until that point. Your family doctor may be fantastic, but be sure to keep a keen ear out for what his doctor is telling him if you do plan to keep your private doctor-make sure he is appropriately encouraging realistic goals for a growing teenager.
Timeforchange:
Thank you so much for your post. That is exactly the kind of information I am looking for. We are still investigating at this point, and I'm not sure what the outcome will be. Your input is invaluable information!