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MHAMD Perspectives

California Regulators Cite Kaiser Permanente for Violating Parity Laws

As written about by John Grohol in Psych Central, Kaiser Permanente, California’s largest HMO was found by the California Department of Managed Health Care to be violating patient protection laws. California requires that patients wait no more than 10 days for an appointment to see a specialist. Kaiser Permanente was found to keep some patients waiting months to see a mental health provider. The latest investigation into possible violations was initiated because Kaiser healthcare employees recorded possible violations and filed a lengthy report with California DHMC.

Kaiser was also found to be violating parity laws by distributing incorrect educational materials, detailing limits on mental health outpatient visits. Kaiser claims to be fixing the alleged violations, but DHMC has recently levied fines for these and other violations of CA regulations.

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