Berkeley Parents Network: Pediatricians who take Healthy Families

Berkeley Parents Network

Pediatricians who take Healthy Families

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Health & Medical > Pediatricians > Pediatricians who take Healthy Families

Need to switch to Healthy Families; can you recommend a doctor?
Pediatrician for Student Family with Healthy Families
See also: Healthy Families Insurance
Related page: Pediatricians who take Medi-Cal

Need to switch to Healthy Families; can you recommend a doctor?

May 2003

Hi, I am in need of switching my high cost insurance as I'm having another baby and my husband is also going to provide insurance for his other 2 children...this makes insuring 4 children very very expensive but....I love my pediatrician at East BAy PEdiatrics and will need to switch if I utilize the Healthy Families program...can someone reccomend an office in Oakland/Berkeley area that accepts this program? Other feedbac/expereince welcome too...thanks, Angela

My daughter is with Healthy Families, on their Blue Cross HMO ( I think) program - she's goes to Berkeley Pediatrics on Walnut - as far as I understand it's often not that docs do or do not take Healthy Families at all - it is that there are certain insurers who have contracted with Healthy families and the docs then contract to take those specific plans- so my daughter could not choose HealthNet within the Healthy Families program and be covered at Berkeley Pediatrics, but if we went with Blue Cross she was fine. - The best thing is to ask in detail at your docs' office and find out specifically which Healthy Family plans (if any) they accept - good luck! Gabriela

Bayside Pediatrics (offices in Berkeley, Oakland, Walnut Creek, Pinole, Alameda, San Ramon, Livermore, Pleasanton) accepts all insurance including Healthy families. anon

Recommendations received:

Eileen Benway Concord

Robert Nicholson Oakland

Philip Rush Pleasant Hill

Pediatrician for Student Family with Healthy Families

1999

We're attempting to survive on a GSI-ship with two kids; our CaliforniaCare insurance just increased to $468/mo. for me and the two kids (husband is covered through SHIP). This and the rent in UC Village just about equals the monthly GSI-ship.

Up until now, we've bit the bullet and paid for the insurance because of the absolute faith I have in the kids' pediatrician, Richard Oken of East Bay Pediatrics. I HATE to think of changing, but we'll be faced with taking out yet another student loan just to cover about $5,000 worth of insurance for the next 10 months.

I've checked the web page, and there are wonderful recommendations for many of the pediatricians participating in the Healthy Families program -- but many of them are over 2 years old. Does anyone have any experience with the Healthy Families program in general, or comments (positive or negative) about the following MDs? Bean, Enz, Granberg, Kittams and Winokur?

This is a wrenching decision -- thanks for any input you can give.

Replies: see the following recommendations

Gary Bean

Jose Enz

Patricia Granberg

Robin Winokur, David Kittams

We were in the same situation as you: living on one GSI and paying for SHIP for 2 kids, not wanting to give up our current pediatrician. When I applied for Healthy Families we were given No-cost Medi-Cal instead. Our pediatrician accepts Medi-Cal for continuing patients (I think they all do) and we now pay nothing. Are you sure you don't qualify for Medi-Cal? If your income is less than around $1940/month for a family of 4 and your children are under 6 yrs old, you do. I don't know about other situations. It takes a couple of months to get into the system and you need to mail in proof of income every 3 months, but I believe it's worth the trouble.

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