OC Insurance/Healthcare - Kaiser, Aetna, or UHC?

potsticker

Active member
I work for a large corporation and open enrollment season is upon us. I moved down to Irvine from the Bay Area earlier this year, and am taking this opportunity to evaluate my medical insurance options. Also, there's a large Kaiser hospital near me - so I'm considering that as well.

Fellow TI'ers - who is your medical insurance through and in your opinion, which provide the most doctors and best coverage in the Irvine/OC area? My options through my employer are Kaiser (HMO), Aetna (HMO, PPO, or HDHP/PPO) , and United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, or HDHP/PPO). I'm in my 30's and in good general health. I usually only have 1 doctor visit a year - and that's my annual physical.
 
Since you don't have any chronic conditions you're managing in your family, I'd go with the one that has the least employee share.

Aetna/United depends on specific plan and/or whether or not one of them is managing a "self insured" plan for your large employer.

Kaiser is fairly consistent and in general very good.

 
best_potsticker_in_town said:
I work for a large corporation and open enrollment season is upon us. I moved down to Irvine from the Bay Area earlier this year, and am taking this opportunity to evaluate my medical insurance options. Also, there's a large Kaiser hospital near me - so I'm considering that as well.

Fellow TI'ers - who is your medical insurance through and in your opinion, which provide the most doctors and best coverage in the Irvine/OC area? My options through my employer are Kaiser (HMO), Aetna (HMO, PPO, or HDHP/PPO) , and United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, or HDHP/PPO). I'm in my 30's and in good general health. I usually only have 1 doctor visit a year - and that's my annual physical.

I'm not a huge fan of Kaiser.  Unless you have some kind of recurring issue/emergency, they are pretty inconvenient for when you are sick etc.  You need to make an apt online and most are not same day (usually a few days later)  That one in Irvine is emergency only.  You have to drive to mission Viejo or further to get to an urgent care.  I personally just get PPO insurance and look for a local urgent care that accepts it.  I currently go to a place called Marque Urgent Care and my co pay is only $10.  Good luck
 
If you have kids, you may want to consider a PPO as you have more options.

I've always felt I got subpar service at an HMO. I was with Kaiser long ago and I remember I tore up my knee and they put me in a cast and prescribed physical therapy. A few years later, I was with a PPO, re-injured my knee and they ordered an MRI and found out that I had a torn ACL from my previous injury.

It may be different now as that was back in the caveman days... but I still distrust HMOs because of that.
 
Hoag in Newport for births. They are number two in number of births behind some hospital in Garden grove.
 
An attorney I know who switched careers from being an anesthesiologist told me to avoid Kaiser. as they represent the bulk of his caseload.

Does your company have a high deductible plan through Aetna? the one at my company carries zero monthly premium, and you get to fund an HSA to cover the deductible. If you use little healthcare like we do, then this represents both a huge reduction in healthcare costs (i.e. no premiums) + another investment account.
 
For insurance, I say, go with a PPO, if you can afford it.If you can't, do an HMO like Aetna HMO. I had Aetna HMO for years and ,it worked well for my family. You will want to stay away from Kaiser. I do not believe, my insurance company and healthcare provider being the same company. When, it comes to making serious healthcare decisions,they always consider how much it will cost them.So again,stay away from Kaiser. Your life and that of your family is worth more than the few dollars you will save on premiums with Kaiser.
 
I had 5 of my 6 children at Saddleback Memorial Hospital(I only had the 6th elsewhere because we relocated briefly).Saddleback has one of the biggest gynecology and obstetrics practice known as Orange Coast Women's Medical Group in-house.
 
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