Kaiser, Don't Deny

I know better than to rely on Kaiser

I know better than to rely on Kaiser when I need a therapist. Two or three years ago, after running through whatever Kaiser therapists I could see, I tried Kaiser’s outside referral service, and it was horrible. It took three tries just to get through to a person  — who could not answer my questions, nor find someone in my area, but sent a list of practitioners via e-mail. This list supplied only addresses, no education or years in practice (I’m 67 and do not wish to talk to a 30-year-old who has no concept of my cancer issues). I had to interview each potential therapist myself (two were completely booked; why were they on the list?). Once I chose one, I had to go back to the beginning to make an appointment. I had to make three more calls to get through and get approval for one meeting. This took over 6 weeks. When he did not work out, and I had to go through the same rigamarole to get another, I just quit. That’s probably what they were trying to do — discourage patients so they could save money. Lucky I had a husband and wasn’t suicidal. What about those who are alone and are?

Deirdre
Los Angeles