Kaiser Permanent in a hot mental health seat in California

From Jocelyn WienerCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

My God She kept the letter on two pages in front of her. From her perch, at the head of the Committee on the Assembly Health on Tuesday afternoon, she read an excerpt from the note that the Kaiser Permantte leader sent that day, refusing to participate in an information hearing about the behavioral health services of the healthcare giant.

“I have to say that I am extremely disappointed,” said Bonta, a democratic state -owned assembly from Oakland.

“I just want to say about the minutes, providing a letter on two pages of this legislative body, where we have the opportunity to hear directly from them, to join a conversation about their efforts to support the Californians, is that for me-“

She crushed the letter on a ball.

One of four Californians – more than 9 million people – is insured by the health plan, the largest state. In recent years, she has been firing for violations of state -owned mental health laws. The health plan made titles in 2014 after its government regulators fined $ 4 million to refuse patients on time to access care. In 2023 the Department of Management Health Care reached a Dilution of $ 200 million An agreement with Kaiser after finding that the health insurer has violated the state laws on mental health. This included a $ 50 million fine and $ 150 million in other investments.

Legislators wanted updates on these commitments. The hearing was filled with the testimony of Union representatives, legislators, patients and others about Kaiser’s ongoing problems in behavioral health.

But perhaps the most influential statement, different legislators and defenders said, was the absence of Kaiser himself.

“I am also disappointed that Kaiser is not here to speak for himself,” says Celeste Rodriguez, a democratic state -owned assembly by Los Angeles, who said she was Kaiser’s patient. “But I also think their absence speaks a lot.”

In The letter to the bladeAnd in an email statement to Calmatters, Kaiser pointed to concerns about the participation of the National Union of Health Workers as an explanation why he refused to send a representative of the hearing that bears his name.

“We did not attend the information hearing of the Committee on the Kaiser Permanent Behavioral Health System, because we believe this would not be a productive or balanced discussion,” said Kaiser spokesman Terry Kanaki.

The Union on Sunday announced a preliminary agreement with Kaiser under a new contract for 2400 Mental Health and Addiction Medicine Employees in Southern California.

This contract, which will be voted on this Thursday, ends a strike that lasted more than six months and participates hungry stroke, Multiple attempts at mediation and Cameo with Labor Icon Dolores Huerta. That was the second Long -standing of the Union in the last three years, with the previous one lasting 10 weeks in 2022.

The company in its letter to Bonta said it had invested more than $ 1 billion to improve behavioral health care from 2020 and that more than 30,000 people are now hiring for these services.

“The bottom line: Today we offer our members more choices and access than ever and meet the state requirements for access to behavioral health care. While we have more work, we are proud of our behavioral health care and our progress in recent years,” read the letter signed by Kaiser’s Vice President Simon Borger.

Union leaders at the hearing have indicated various ongoing concerns including Chronic undervaluationS

Sofia Mendoza, President of the National Health Workers Union, told the committee: “In the whole country, we have heard the same refrain from Kaiser’s plan members. If you break your hand, if you have diabetes, you will take care a lot. But if you have depression or anxiety, do not count to get help.”

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.