Healthcare on the road?

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Hi Ray D..   
Duplicate post. Please remove.


    Just an idea on how to do that... Delete your complete duplicate entry and only leave one character --a period--(.)--

I remember seeing that some time ago on another forum and a slew of replies happened. Cracked me up at the time. ;D

  Carson

 
Wendy I have no idea.  I haven't left anything in Canada or Mexico that I need to go get. 
 
We go through B.C. and Alberta everytime we go to Alaska. Take time to visit siblings there also. When we had an emergency we had to pay (not much) and had no trouble getting reimbursed by Tricare. They have a number to call and a form to fill out if I remember right. Canadian Force bases don't seem to have the facilities found in the states. Haven't been to Mexico in years and unless the drug wars wind down, probably won't for a while.
 
Delete your complete duplicate entry and only leave one character --a period--(.)--

Too late. Carson. Somebody honored my request and it is gone.  :) 

Thanks, somebody.  :-* 

Ray D  8)
 
jmarxen said:
How are your medical records available when you travel? I think some you could have on a flash drive, but my understanding is not everything is digital.

Kaiser Permenante is digital. They charge $5 for a flash card loaded with my entire medical history up to my last visit. When I do go in for a visit, I have the card updated. I carry the card with me at all times.

Of course, the down side of Kaiser is that they are not everywhere - and that is tough for me as a full timer. My regular appointments must be in CA or in a state that Kaiser exists. Emergencies can be anywhere.  That has happened to me on several occasions and Kaiser stepped right up with payments. Prescriptions are easy by mail to wherevery I may be -- or, if I run out, I just go to a Walmart or Sams and have them call Kaiser from my card.
 
Is your Kaiser Permenante coverage a supplement to Medicare or is it considered an individual policy where you aren't covered by Medicare? What states do they offer coverage? We're on the east coast and would hate to travel to the west coast if that is all they serve for regular visits. I would hate to treat all visits as an emergency visit.

I would think the $5  for the flash is cheap providing it's a 2GB or 4GB in size. Do they charge you for updating the flash? How much (# visits or amount of medical data) does it hold?

Thanks,

Jim & Nancy
 
jmarxen said:
Is your Kaiser Permenante coverage a supplement to Medicare or is it considered an individual policy where you aren't covered by Medicare? What states do they offer coverage? We're on the east coast and would hate to travel to the west coast if that is all they serve for regular visits. I would hate to treat all visits as an emergency visit.

I would think the $5  for the flash is cheap providing it's a 2GB or 4GB in size. Do they charge you for updating the flash? How much (# visits or amount of medical data) does it hold?

Kaiser administers medicare. Whatever comes out of my SS check goes to Kaiser, plus they are also my supplemental -- currently called their Senior Advantage plan. I was hospitalized in AZ several years back for 3 days. A number of the bills came directly to me - though my only expense was the cost of each overnight stay. One of the bills came from a doctors group that had attended me from outside the hospital - and was for something like $950. I contacted Kaiser, they contacted the group, and informed them that the medicare limit for that service was something like $250. Their response was, OK, we'll write the rest of it off. So when an emergency service from outside the Kaiser plan is needed, Kaiser oversees it as would medicare.

Kaiser Permanente is located in nine states and the District of Colombia -- California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and Virginia.

Can't imagine needing a 4GB card for a medical record. Mine is 1GB and so far my entire medical record is only about 130KB in size. I have looked at it and it is very detailed. If I recall, there is no charge to update the card. They just stick it into a USB port and go click click.

The other thing I like about KP is that my primary care physician controls my treatment. He has a computer in each exam room that he turns to to set up any specialized services he/she deems necessary. Or, if the specialist/surgeon needs followup, they turn to their computer and set it up.

>> I would hate to treat all visits as an emergency visit.
====
Hope you didn't misread that. An emergency must be just that. I am given some travel forms that to use in that case. However, so far I have just given the out of plan hospital my Kaiser HMO plan card. Also, just to be on the safe side, I always call Kaiser prior to my emergency visit, tell them what is going on, and have them tell me what to do. Of course, if I was unable to do that, am sure they would consider that an emergency. 
 
Bob Buchanan said:
>> I would hate to treat all visits as an emergency visit.
====
Hope you didn't misread that. An emergency must be just that. I am given some travel forms that to use in that case. However, so far I have just given the out of plan hospital my Kaiser HMO plan card. Also, just to be on the safe side, I always call Kaiser prior to my emergency visit, tell them what is going on, and have them tell me what to do. Of course, if I was unable to do that, am sure they would consider that an emergency. 

Bob, appreciate the excellent response - it definitely answered my questions.

We aren't yet full-timers, but we're sure looking forward to it. We were thinking when you full-time, you never know where you are going to be, unless that visit to the doctor's is scheduled in advanced, hence any visit would be an "emergency". I see the nine states and DC are across the US, have you had to visit a doctor (non emergency) other than your primary when traveling?

Thanks,

Jim & Nancy
 
jmarxen said:
I see the nine states and DC are across the US, have you had to visit a doctor (non emergency) other than your primary when traveling?

Actually, no -- but that "is" the downside of being a full timer and a member of Kaiser. Travel is limited by ones needs for regularly scheduled and/or non-emergency office visits. It can also a bummer within a plan State according to how far one is from a Kaiser facility. But, OTOH, regardless of the HMO - travels away from ones primary care doctor will always be a factor in travel scheduling.

Good luck on your desires to become full timers. I love the lifestyle, plus am totally pleased with the care I get from Kaiser. So I do what is necessary to make it work for me . . .
 
Bob,  Is Kaiser's supplemental policy only HMOs?  Do they offer PPO supplement policies, which often allows you more flexibility in seeing a wider range of doctors?  I'll be going on Medicare in 2011, and the supplemental stuff is a nightmare to figure out.

Since Tim retired 5 years ago, we buy our own insurance ($$$$$) and are with Anthem Blue Shield; and they offer supplemental policies.  We aren't sure we want to go with them.  Their coverage is fantastic; but their accounting and paperwork is horrid.

Marsha~
 
Back when we lived in California and had Kaiser, we never had any problems with being reimbursed for emergency visits, including a trip to South Africa when we thought I had gotten malaria (just another bug fortunately)!  They paid for the doctor coming to the hotel and all the tests.  I just gave them the receipts when I got home.  Jerry also used an eye doctor once in Australia without a problem.

After leaving CA we changed to Anthem/Blue Cross-Blue Shield.  They paid for my broken elbow (including 3 surgeries and physical therapy) when we were on the road and, except for some paperwork problems caused by providers sending to the wrong address, we had no complaints.  Left Anthem when all our doctors got fed up with increasing patient rates and decreasing doctor payments.  Switched to AARP Healthcare Options and are happy so far.

Marsha, Kaiser is the ONLY HMO I would ever join because it's doctors are in charge of patient care, not the bean counters like every other HMO.  I miss the good doctors we had and the ease of using Kaiser.  Now we have to go all over the place to get tests, results, doctors, etc.  It's a lot more hassle.  But, we also know we can get care anywhere in the country without consulting Kaiser first.

ArdraF
 
I wonder what the answers to these questions will be in 10 years?  That's what worries me... if I make it that far.
 

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