Every day, we see more and more people move from California to Nevada. As any Californian knows, Kaiser Permanente is one of the main insurance companies available.
Kaiser Permanente offers a unique one-stop-shop concept where you can get all of your medical needs taken care of in the hospital, including prescriptions!
So is Kaiser in Nevada? As of today, Kaiser Permanente does not offer health plans to Nevada residents. Even though it is unlikely, at some point in the future we may see Kaiser in Nevada.
Next Best Thing to Kaiser in Nevada
Without Kaiser in Nevada, many ex-Californians are looking for the next best thing. Kaiser Permanente offers a financial structure that is similar to plans available in Nevada. Kaiser Permanente is notoriously known for having the lowest cost health plans in the market.
As an HMO insurance company, they reduce costs by containing their medical services in-house with their own insurance company. This is because the insurance company and hospital group fall under the same ownership within their corporate structure.
Most other insurance companies establish outside contracts with private doctors. These outside doctors negotiate their reimbursement rates which can cause higher costs for the insurance company. This ultimately translates into higher premiums and fewer benefits for you!
Here in Nevada, we have a few hospital groups: Renown, Northern Nevada Medical Group, Saint Mary’s, and Carson Tahoe.
Both Renown and Northern Nevada Medical Center have in-house insurance companies.
Renown owns Hometown Health and Senior Care Plus.
Northern Nevada Medical Center owns Prominence Health Plan through its parent company, Universal Health Services.
Like Kaiser Permanente, these in-house insurance companies in Nevada can offer low prices on plans filled with copays due to their similar financial structure!
Market Differences
While a few of the medical groups here have their own insurance companies, the medical groups might also contract with other insurance carriers.
This is different from Kaiser. You typically cannot use Kaiser doctors unless you have a Kaiser plan. You also cannot have Kaiser plan and see doctors outside of Kaiser.
Even if you are hopeful to get Kaiser in Nevada, you probably don’t need it as you did in California. We have similar options based on the market needs in Northern Nevada. To learn more about these trends, give us a call today! One of our licensed brokers can help you find the best plan for your needs.
