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Costco or Kaiser?

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In reply to @Baileyhere

@Baileyhere said:

Silly to compare the bulk grocery store to a large U.S. healthcare provider and insurance organization

You seem to be the one dragging this into the conversation, not me. The conversation is about the poor initial fitting, the bed-side manner of the audiologist, and the lack of available appointments.

This other crap that you seem to want to bring up is irrelevant to the initial conversation.

In reply to @OcramSagev

Ocram,

YES, people on this website have been super! Helpful, friendly, knowledgeable!

WOW, 3,000 miles apart and almost identical experiences EXCEPT that MY Primary care physician spends as much time with each patient as they need. Sadly, he often goes without lunch. He is very old school in that way!

The local Costco I prefer for may or may not answer the phone but ALWAYS returns calls. YES, walking out into a noisy store can inform the patient immediately about the usefulness/adjustment of HAs. AGAIN, you have to find the right HA dispenser because those at my “usual”Costco are morons.

ONE question, if I may: how/where did you get the software to adjust Phonaks yourself? You can write to me at aky13rx@gmail.com

Arthur

Go to the section here on this website and ask for a link to the software.

In reply to @mindsil

Aside from the sarcasm (not to worry; I’m from Brooklyn and used to it), you ask a VERY excellent question. First, with MOST Rx meds, the patient would not notice lack of or weak efficacy. When my generic famotidine is of poor quality, I know within a couple of hours of a dose.

If a prescription was filled incorrectly, refund is given and, hopefully, no harm has occurred. I know of an instance in which a Pharmacist was fired on the spot (union or no union) because of the horrible mistake he made.

IF a patient is unhappy with the efficacy and/or side effects, no refunds are given. Even when fully potent and of good quality any given med may or may not work well in any specific patient because of human variability. Hearing aids are a very different situation - not comparable with Rx meds.

In fact, it is illegal under the state laws with which I am familiar (and likely every state) to take back an Rx med EVEN IF STILL SEALED. This is also addressed in an “Compliance Policy Guide”:

CPG Sec. 460.300 Return of Unused Prescription Drugs to Pharmacy Stock

The main reason for this is the lack of assurance of storage conditions once the med leaves the Pharmacy.

Edited

In reply to @Baileyhere

Sorry to disappoint, but - apparently pigs DO fly IF the patient is paying enough for insurance! I just called Kaiser Member Services to verify because - IF I am going to be paying, I would NOT put up with the Kaiser aggravation; I would go straight to the wonderful people in the Wheaton MD Costco Audiology center.

A long time ago, when I began my Federal career and had to choose health insurance, I asked my Pharmacist boss for advice. His words were simple “You are young and healthy, IF you need health insurance, it will likely be for something catastrophic (and expensive). Get HIGH option insurance.”

Throughout my 35+ year career, I followed that philosophy and have paid much more for health insurance than I “had to.” I am covered by the Kaiser (Mid-Atlantic States) Medicare + HIGH OPTION plan. There is NO charge, no co-pay, to me for hearing aids one pair every three years.

Insurance benefits vary with plan and the status of the annual accumulation of deductible/copay/coinsurance payments of the patient and family members. Even in the same health plan this could mean hearing aids will receive a benefit between $0 and full coverage. Read the plan documents and call the insurer with questions.

Unfortunately getting the benefits without encountering some sort of process that makes the benefit worth less is another challenge. If I understand how KP works it should not be an issue with a KP plan and provider, if you can get appointments which was an issue mentioned in this thread.

In reply to @user990

I’m not dragging the conversation anywhere, except “reality land.” OP brings up Kaiser compared to Costco as it relates to hearing aid service and purchase. Did you actually read it - User?

OP - Have not seen any recent mention of Kaiser P. as a audiologist/provider. Does anyone have direct experience with Kaiser for HAs? As FYI, Kaiser carries the Oticon Intent1, Phonak Infinnio 90, Widex Moment 440, and Resound Vivia 9. Just found out that my insurance covers $600/ear of a Kaiser HA. While a discount, Kaiser’s premium offerings are $2700/ear, so still a LOT more than Costco.

You’re on ignore User900 for (1) making things up and (2) posting complete gibberish. One has to wonder if you work at Costco?

@Baileyhere said:

You’re on ignore User900 for (1) making things up and (2) posting complete gibberish. One has to wonder if you work at Costco?

I don’t work for Costco and I do have a medicaid advantage plan with Kaiser.

Edited

In reply to @aky13rx

@aky13rx said:

Kaiser aggravation

Hmmm, you posted if a patient is paying enough for insurance? Where did that come from?

If you’re referring to some Federal government plan that ties in with Kaiser Permanente, then that’s something I’m unaware of, and let’s say somewhat rare as it pertains to free hearing aids. But for those who have KP coverage and no (government/federal employee connection), there’s no monthly insurance premium or payment that allows access or insurance coverage at Costco. If you’re on Kaiser’s Medicare Advantage plan, you get a choice of four aid manufacturers to pick from when testing or purchasing a new hearing aid. Just four. If you want to buy a hearing aid that Kaiser doesn’t offer, or if you want to buy a hearing aid at Costco, you pay out of pocket. Kaiser Permanente is not in the business of sending any member outside of Kaiser to by XYZ hearing aid, and then reimbursing that Kaiser member for the unapproved aid purchase.

So, to end this subject, Kaiser does not offer free hearing aids to the majority of its members, if not all, and the Health Care provider does not offer any financial assistance to anyone who wants to buy a hearing aid at Costco. Maybe in your case, you were tied into some special arrangement between federal benefits and Kaiser, but it’s an odd cocktail if you’re able to add free hearing aids at Costco to that drink.

aky13rx was responding to your comment that Kaiser doesn’t offer free hearing aids unless pigs fly. As mentioned earlier there is no generic Kaiser coverage. It is possible to have a plan at some Kaisers that will offer some coverage for Kaiser hearing aids. aky13rx was able to use that coverage to pay for basic level aids at Kaiser. In general paying for hearing aid insurance is not going to be to one’s financial advantage. For some predictable upfront costs may still make the “bad” investment worthwhile.

Edited

Kaiser does offer hearing aid coverage for a small additional monthly fee in the medicare advantage Seattle area plan.

This fee also includes a a certain amount of rides to the clinic along with a $4,000 every two years hearing aid benefit.

If the pricing is still the same as last year, the Resound Vivia was around $4,000 a pair. So one could get a pair of high end hearing aids for the cost of the monthly hearing aid fee.

Three years ago the benefit was included in all of the medicare advantage plans at no addition cost. However, three years ago, I think the benefit was less then $2,000 a year and two years ago it was $2,000 a year.

Three years ago, my local clinic was referring some folks to a private audiologist. The cost there was about $5,000 for pair of top-on-line Oticons. So the out-of-pocket costs with the current benefit was over two times the cost of a pair of Phillips 9040 hearing aid at Costco.

In reply to @philbob57

I never thought of it that way, but you are very correct. On the other hand, the thankfully few times I’ve been hospitalized, I’ve paid nothing except - once that I do remember because it offended me. I was charged some insane amount for a rectangular, thin plastic container + a pocket pack of sandpaper masquerading as tissues + hand lotion. NONE of which was either ordered for me or requested by me.

Having studied health care costs, I know that small rip offs like this and $5 for a single acetaminophen tablet are ways that hospitals subsidize unbilled functions like nursing, house keeping and security.

Still offensive even with the knowledge!

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