California Kaiser Permanente Members File Class Action Lawsuit Over Mental Health Care Wait Times

On October 25, 2013, three members of Kaiser Permanente in California filed a class action lawsuit against the health maintenance organization (HMO) protesting delays in access to mental health services between 2011 through 2013. A key fact in the lawsuit is that on June 25, 2013, the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) fined the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan $4 million for failing to correct violations of state laws governing access to mental health care. The fine was levied due to four deficiencies identified in a routine DMHC medical survey released in March 2013—and Kaiser's failure to . . .