I am starting a new job on Monday and have to make a decision by then about which health insurance to pick, and I have narrowed it down to Kaiser or Anthem BC. I am hoping to have gastric sleeve surgery this summer. The Kaiser plan (after my employer contribution) will cost me $90/month but has a $6,500 out-of-pocket maximum, whereas the Anthem will cost me $190/month but only has a $3,000 out-of-pocket maximum. It looks like their coverage and requirements for the surgery are about the same but sometimes it's hard to know until the process is started. I can always choose a less expensive plan next year during the open enrollment after my surgery has (hopefully!) been completed.

Wondering if anyone can share their experiences with me if you have either of these insurances. The thought of a "one-stop-shop" for Kaiser sounds appealing, but not sure if it's worth the extra out-of-pocket expense.

Thanks in advance!

Edited January 21, 201511 yr by prowinewoman

Just a quick update... I'm going to stick with WLA. It's just closer and linked to my home hospital, Woodland Hills. Doctor will do the revision all at once. Since my band has been empty since August and my upper GI came back normal, he doesn't expect any issues once he goes in. I'll also have to go through the Options classes. I've accepted it and will go through the motions while I try not to gain any more weight. Plus I'm so crazy busy at work right now that I wouldn't know how to pass it off while I'm out. At least this way I can have a good plan in place. I expect to have surgery in August.

I originally was going to go through kaiser. But they required a 6 month (possibly longer) waiting period as you have to jump through a million hoops. I changed my insurance to anthem blue cross ppo. (I too am in california) I gained coverage on 1/1/15. And had my first appointment 1/21/15. Anthem required a psych eval.. health eval with a NUT (over the phone) and blood work. Needless to say anthem was all in all the best qhp I could have chose for my surgery as the process was very fast. I was approved for surgery and on the operating table in less than a month 2/27. I would suggest looking for a surgeon first before deciding which insurance. That's what I did!