Washblog

I am a new Group Health member trying to understand Group Health policies.  Is it seriously Group Health policy to charge patients for parking at the Group Health facility in Bellevue?  Is it seriously Group Health policy to charge group members to park when Group Health doctors have ordered time consuming procedures and tests?   Is it seriously Group Health policy to force injured, disable, handicapped and wheel chair bound patients to pay for parking because there is no safe and available alternative?  Is it seriously Group Health policy to hold group members hostage at time when they are vulnerable, scared, anxious and stressed?  Is it seriously Group Health policy to slap Group Health members with a $30.00 traffic violation when they are unable to pay for parking at a Group Health facility?  

Seriously, and is it also Group Health policy for administrative staff members at the Bellevue facility to tell Group Health patients who complain about parking to go "park across the street" and tie up customer parking for the businesses across from the Group Health facility?  Is this seriously Group Health policy?  I think the businesses near the Group Health facility in Bellevue would be seriously alarmed to hear that Group Health staff is advising Group Health patients to park in their lot.

Here's a serious thought.  What if Group Health took the $9 million dollars spent annually on advertising and instead used some of that money to benefit Group Health patients instead of trying to convince patients how wonderful it is to be a Group Health member?  Now that's a serious idea.  How is it that Group Health defines waste as anything that does not add value to the patient, but then turns around and charges sick, traumatized patients to park at a Group Health facility?  How is that adding value to your patients? How can Group Health justify $9 million for advertising, every year, then turn around and bleed their members?  Seriously?