Kaiser's Mental Health Crisis: A Strike That's Breaking the System

BUY NOW! The mental health crisis at Kaiser Permanente is reaching a boiling point. The strike by mental health workers in Southern California is now in its sixth month, and the situation is dire. Patients are suffering, and the company's financial reserves are under threat. Let's dive into the chaos and see what's really going on.

THIS IS A NO-BRAINER! The strike has led to a severe shortage of mental health professionals, with approximately one therapist for every 3,000 patients and one psychologist for every 57,000 patients. This understaffing has resulted in "horrible" wait times for patients seeking mental health services. For instance, patients who want to retain their therapists are being placed on 30-day appointment waitlists, even though Kaiser is required to provide medically necessary follow-up appointments within 10 business days by law. Additionally, Kaiser has been canceling psychotherapy groups for thousands of patients, including those with severe conditions, and sending them to outside virtual providers that are only capable of treating patients with mild-to-moderate conditions. This has led to a situation where patients with severe mental health conditions are not receiving the appropriate level of care, which can have serious long-term consequences for their mental health outcomes. Furthermore, the strike has resulted in a lack of continuity of care for patients, as they are often forced to see temporary providers who may not have specialized training or knowledge of their specific needs. This can lead to a deterioration in the quality of care and a worsening of mental health symptoms over time.

DO THIS! Kaiser Permanente needs to step up and address the core issues that are causing this crisis. The company has a history of patient delays and has paid a $200 million settlement to the state of California for not providing timely access to treatment. The prolonged strike could exacerbate these issues, leading to further legal and regulatory fines. This could deplete the company's financial reserves. For instance, the company has faced complaints about patients being placed on 30-day appointment waitlists and being sent to outside provider networks that aren't capable of treating them.

STAY AWAY! The strike has also led to increased burnout among therapists, which could result in increased employee turnover. This could lead to increased recruitment and training costs, which could impact the company's financial reserves. For instance, Kaiser data shows that mental health workers without pensions are twice as likely to leave Kaiser as those with pensions.

BOO-YAH! The protest in Bakersfield on Thursday will be the last in a series of actions this week, with protests taking place today in San Diego and Pasadena on Wednesday. “This is about equity for mental health care,” said Lourdes Cortez, a striking social worker for Kaiser in Bakersfield. “If Kaiser is serious about fixing its mental health care services, the first step is a contract that gives us enough time to meet the needs of our patients and ends the disparity between mental health care and every other service Kaiser provides.”

THIS IS A NO-BRAINER! Kaiser, which is sitting on $60 billion in financial reserves, provides mental health services for its 4.8 million members in Southern California. In 2023, the state of California ordered Kaiser to pay a $200 million penalty, including a $50 million fine, for mental health violations that included excessive appointment wait times due to the understaffing of mental health services. Kaiser was also fined $4 million in 2013 for mental health violations and later put under state oversight.

THIS IS A NO-BRAINER! Since the strike began, NUHW has filed more than a dozen complaints documenting that Kaiser is further violating the rights of patients during the strike, making it harder than ever to access mental health services. The complaints show that Kaiser is: illegally putting patients on 30-day appointment waitlists, making patients wait up to 44 weeks for autism assessments, cancelling group therapy appointments for thousands of patients including postpartum mothers, and sending patients with severe mental health conditions to outside provider networks that aren’t capable of treating them.

THIS IS A NO-BRAINER! The three major issues that remain unresolved are: Patient Care Time, Pension Restoration, and Fair Salaries. In Northern California, Kaiser guarantees full-time therapists 7 hours per week for patient care duties that can’t be done during therapy sessions, such as responding to patient calls and emails, preparing for appointments, communicating with social service agencies, making charting notes and devising treatment plans. The lack of time for these tasks in Southern California is a major reason why therapists leave Kaiser, contributing to the HMO’s chronic understaffing issues. Still, Kaiser is proposing to only guarantee five hours per week, while therapists in Southern California earlier this month reduced their request from seven to six hours per week. Workers are seeking the same defined benefit pensions Kaiser provides to nearly all its employees, but eliminated for its Southern California mental health workers a decade ago. Over the course of a 40-year career, Kaiser mental health workers without a pension will receive nearly $2 million less in retirement dollars than Kaiser employees who still have pensions. Kaiser data shows that mental health workers without pensions are twice as likely to leave Kaiser as those with pensions. Workers are seeking to close the gap between themselves and therapists who provide medical care at Kaiser, who make up to 40 percent higher salaries. Instead, Kaiser is proposing lower raises for its mental health workers than it provided recently to its medical workers in the Coalition of Kaiser Unions.

THIS IS A NO-BRAINER! The mental health crisis at Kaiser Permanente is a ticking time bomb. The company needs to address the core issues that are causing this crisis, or it could face further legal and regulatory fines, increased operational costs, and a loss of customers. The strike has already led to a severe shortage of mental health professionals, increased burnout among therapists, and a lack of continuity of care for patients. The company's financial reserves are under threat, and the situation is only getting worse. Kaiser Permanente needs to step up and address these issues, or it could face a catastrophic collapse.