Kaiser, Don't Deny

Patient not considered “severe” enough to get treatment

Published Tuesday, October 12, 2021

More than 1,400 Kaiser mental health patients have shared stories at kaiserdontdeny.org of care delayed or denied, and the stories keep coming in. Here’s a recent story from a parent who was shuttled between Kaiser and the county system, and still never got help.

I was removed from Kaiser to the county system due to being “too severe” a patient. I requested to go back to Kaiser, as the county system is overworked as well. I made an appointment in December 2018 for a therapy appointment in March 2019. The appointment was canceled the day of and was rescheduled for May 2019. I was told that I was no longer eligible for the higher care they provide to certain patients due to the lack of severity of my symptoms. I no longer tried to make another therapy appointment, as being seen by a therapist four times a year isn’t conducive to the care that I require for my symptoms, but since my symptoms are controlled by medication, I am not considered severe by Kaiser anymore.

Melinda
Bostonia

 

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