Opinion - Letters to the Editor

POSTED: Friday, Jul. 24, 2009

Defends and explains Group Health-Kaiser

I beg to differ with the concept that Group Health-Kaiser is a private health insurance program whose interest is to make profit for personal gain, as mentioned in a previous letter.

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, based in Oakland, Calif., is a not-for-profit insurance program whose premiums are based on the cost of providing medical care for the 8.5 million health plan members. Kaiser Hospitals is a separate not-for-profit organization that is funded by the Health Plan and has facilities in many areas of the country. The Permanente Medical Groups contract with the health plan to provide care for the members.

The physicians are salaried and have the final say as to how medicine is practiced in the organization. Anyone interested in the origin of the organization should read "Courage to Heal" by Paul E. Bernstein, MD, medical director of the San Diego Area in the Southern California region.

I can speak of this from personal experience having been a Kaiser-Permanente physician for over 30 years in Los Angeles and San Diego and having served as chief of service of dermatology in San Diego for more than 28 years and regional coordinator for dermatology for 16 years.

Burton Jay

Bellingham