Calpers insurance question for LEO.

[Spyder]

... ...

[Ron-Solo]

I don't know what plans callers offers but I had a blue cross HMO that covered just about everything under the sun. My daughter had serious asthma issues and spent many nights in ICU because of it. My HMO covered everything and sometimes the bills were close to $200,000. If I would have had to pay 20% of that, it would have bankrupted me.

Look at all your options closely, and check with your doctor which plans provide you with the best coverage for your needs.

[TRICKSTER]

Went through the whole battery of test, chemo & radiation stuff for cancer when I was 30.(some 21 years ago).
Had Kaiser (still do) and the treatments didn't cost me anything at the time.
Haven't had any problems with them.

[Spyder]

Trickster, that's what I start on Monday, but I'm going to be at Stanford going through a clinical trial. Does Kaiser still work if you have to go somewhere else for treatment?

Hopefully my HR lady can get me going in the right direction.

[oddjob]

I'm switching to the Retired PORAC med plan. Its cheaper and has better coverage for myself & the family. I currently have the PERS Choice PPO. I have talked with other retired folks and some are out of state (Idaho). They told me the medical coverage was outstanding. One of my retired friend's wife worked for Blue Shield. She looked at the PORAC plan and said it was very good. My doctor's office said it was a good plan too.

Requirements; Member of the the Retired Associate Memebrship (RAM) program, costs $2.00 a month. Then stay on hold with CalPers for about an hour.

Sorry about your ailment.....

[TRICKSTER]

Kaiser has the facilities to handle most of what you will need, if they don't they will send you wherever you need to go for treatment. There were a couple of things that they had questions about so they sent me to see a specialist at Stanford. They paid for everything.

[retired]

Spyder, good luck with your treatment and I hope everything ends well.

[SVT-40]

Does you have aflac through your POA?? If you can it might be wise to check that out as aflac pays you directly for many medical issues.

[oddjob]

"Union and medical stuff is the one thing I don't know anything about."

The way I learned was to stay friends with the older fellas...They taught me a lot of stuff like 401k's, 457k's, medical plans & etc........Especially older folks who have been in your department and have dealt with what ever plans you have available to you.

[mlatino]

I have (had) that insurance up until a coupe of days ago. DROP it quickly. I wound up in the ER for about 18 hours with a kidney stone, total out of pocket has been $2k for me (and still counting). My insurance was billed +$40k. Ridiculous.

edit: I just jumped on my wifes Kaiser plan, she had a similar issue in the ER and she paid $20, total.

[Triad]

I have never had Kaiser or dealt with them before. For whatever reason their offices seem like walking into a Bank.

Kaiser is cheaper than the plan I am currently using (not CalPERS but similar system) - do you guys generally recommend them for medical purposes?

In the time I have been on the Dept. I have had to use my medical insurance one time....so I don't know how good/bad it could be. Both times I have gotten hurt, have been while on the job and the county footed the bill on both.