Our Work

Care and Coverage for Vulnerable Populations

Improving health care access for vulnerable populations is fundamental to both our mission and not-for-profit status. In 2004 we provided private and public health coverage subsidy programs to nearly 277,000 children and adults across the nation through our own subsidy programs, charity care in our hospitals and clinics, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Plans, and Medicare.

Dues Subsidy

We help those who can’t afford health care by subsidizing their coverage. Kaiser Permanente’s dues subsidy program addresses pressing local needs for health care and coverage by reaching beyond public programs to the many uninsured adults and children who are ineligible for any other kind of assistance. In what may very well be a unique program, we cover the cost of health insurance in the communities we serve nationwide for low income and uninsured people.

We provide this subsidized coverage in Kaiser Permanente for workers retraining for new professions, children whose family income or immigration status makes them ineligible for state programs, and poor men ineligible for any public programs.

Medicaid

Our Medicaid programs are noted for their excellence in quality ratings by outside agencies. In 2005, for example, the National Committee for Quality Assurance named our Hawaii Region the best Medicaid program in the country. We work closely with our public partners to identify the most effective ways to support these critical safety net programs and align their needs with our expertise and strengths.

At the end of 2004, we provided a two-year grant to the Center for Health Care Strategy to develop best practices for serving Medicaid adults with multiple chronic conditions. National experts in managed care, health care purchasing, and clinical practice, as well as consumer representatives, have been invited to assess care management models and identify key elements of care for this population.

Medicare

Kaiser Permanente participates in Medicare contracts in all of our regions, providing services to patients with Medicare coverage. In select regions, we also help low-income Medicare members pay their Medicare premiums. We recognize the importance of linking low-income Medicare members with public and private resources to help address the cost of health care.

Charity Care

As you can see, Kaiser Permanente engages in a broad range of efforts to help uninsured members of our communities receive care. Charity care is a part of that work. In September of 2004, Kaiser Permanente's Board of Directors reaffirmed our commitment to charity care by approving a national Collection/Medical Financial Assistance Policy to further help those least able to pay for care.

Procedures are in process across the nation to fully support this policy. While there is still work to be done, we expect to have most of that work wrapped up in 2005. When fully implemented, the policy ensures that Kaiser Permanente:

• will discount charges for medically necessary services to a level comparable to either Medicare rates or the rates paid by Kaiser Permanente members for uninsured persons who show that their income is at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
  
  
• will not take legal action for nonpayment of medical bills against any person who is unemployed and without other significant income.
  
  
• will offer financial counseling to determine if a patient is eligible for public assistance or Kaiser Permanente financial assistance.
  
  
• will not place a lien on any patient's primary home.

Click here to learn more about our national policy.