Kaiser Permanente is partnering with Operation Access to provide surgical and other specialty care to 22 low-income, uninsured adults at the Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center on Saturday, Feb. 4.
A grant from a Kaiser Permanente fund at the East Bay Community Foundation is supporting Operation Access’ Donated Surgical & Specialty Care program, which includes the surgeries and specialty care performed on Saturday in Walnut Creek and future surgeries to be performed at other Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals later this year.
More than 60 Kaiser Permanente physicians, nurses, and staff will volunteer their time and skills to perform surgical procedures and other specialty care including colonoscopies for people at above-average risk for colon cancer, hernia repairs, tonsillectomies, bunionectomies, and urology procedures.
During its 30-year-long partnership with Operation Access, Kaiser Permanente has provided over 12,000 surgeries and other specialty care procedures to people in need. In 2022, Kaiser Permanente’s support provided surgeries and other specialty care to 631 low-income, uninsured adults.
“We are proud to partner with Operation Access to provide critical health care services for people in our community who otherwise wouldn’t have access to this care,” said Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek General Surgeon Anita Chiu, MD. “This is such an important day not only for these patients, but for the physicians, nurses and staff members who generously donate their time to help others in need.”
Probably a good thing, I just wish it didn’t take forever to get an appointment with your doctor at Kaiser. You can get well before your appointment date.
Getting well beforehand is one option, I suppose.
I’m pretty Medi-Cal would cover all of that.
ANONYMOUS
Not always. Some people make $5 a month too much to qualify for MediCal. When I worked patient accounts at the county a lor of working poor were put on MediCal-SOC (share of cost) Some families had a SOC of $400-$500 if they used services. My supervisor told the state that if people could afford that they could buy insurance as a decent family plan from Kaiser then was around $350.
There is a lot wrong with the system when it comes to the working poor. They work, they are doing the right thing but when they need help they are treated like dirt
Odd that 20 yrs ago I needed to undergo surgery with Kaiser and was denied because my insurance was ending due to being laid off and my benefits were ending. So here I was having to go to the County and still having to pay the $10k with a payment plan that lasted 7 yrs. Kaiser wouldn’t help me at all and the County was either pay or they sue me. Now I know why seeing what’s been happening over the last 15 yrs. To get major surgery done you most likely have to be illegal. At the time I was considered low income but I’m also a US citizen. Odd that this has been going on for 30 yrs now. I’m sure Kaiser will raise their insurance and we’ll be paying more for office visits. Nothing is free and we’re paying for it.
KT
You obviously never kept an appt with County Financial Counseling as if you were unemployed they would have qualified you for emergency MediCal. We cleared people in your situation all the time.
Also the county doesn’t “sue”. At that point all collections were done in house via ORC and all they would have done is set up the same payment plan Patient Accounting set for you. And regardless of unit all payment plans at the county are interest free as legally county can’t charge interest for any health service
Free surgery? …. no surgery is free, costs ultimately is being passed on to other Kaiser subscribers
Thanks to this liberal progressive rule of CA, our sub cost will goup a little at a time. I have KAISER SENIOR Advantage and I can just expect an increase at a gradual steps and it will be unnoticed!
Us legal senior citizens will be supporting to expanding voter base that the Democrats are using for the illegals!!