Adult Survey
Kaiser Permanente
1. Our records show that you are now in (Kaiser Permanente). Is that right?
100% Yes -> Go to Question 3
0% No
3. Is this the health plan you use for all or most of your health care?
98% Yes
2% No
4. How many months or years in a row have you been in this health plan?
3% Less than 12 months
9% 12 up to 24 months
25% 2 up to 5 years
28% 5 up to 10 years
36% 10 or more years
Your Personal Doctor or Nurse
The next questions ask about your own health care. Do not include care you got when you stayed overnight in a hospital. Do not include the times you went for dental care visits.
5. A personal doctor or nurse is the health provider who knows you best. This can be a general doctor, a specialist doctor, a nurse practitioner, or a physician assistant. When you joined your health plan or at any time since then, did you get a new personal doctor or nurse?
81% Yes
19% No -> Go to Question 7
6. With the choices your health plan gave you, how much of a problem, if any, was it to get a personal doctor or nurse you are happy with?
16% A big problem
27% A small problem
56% Not a problem
1% I didn't get a new personal doctor or nurse
7. Do you have one person you think of as your personal doctor or nurse?
64% Yes
36% No -> Go to Question 9
8. We want to know your rating of your personal doctor or nurse: Use any number from 0 to 10 where 0 is the worst personal doctor or nurse possible, and 10 is the best personal doctor or nurse possible. How would you rate your personal doctor or nurse now?
0% 0 - Worst personal doctor or nurse possible
0% 1
0% 2
1% 3
3% 4
7% 5
5% 6
9% 7
25% 8
14% 9
33% 10 - Best personal doctor or nurse possible
1% I don't have a personal doctor or nurse
Getting Health Care From a Specialist
When you answer the next questions, do not include dental visits.
9. Specialists are doctors like surgeons, heart doctors, allergy doctors, skin doctors, and others who specialize in one area of health care.
In the last 12 months, did you or a doctor think you needed to see a specialist?

49% Yes
51% No -> Go to Question 11
10. In the last 12 months, how much of a problem, if any, was it to get a referral to a specialist that you needed to see?
12% A big problem
15% A small problem
72% Not a problem
1% I didn't need to see a specialist in the last 12 months.
11. In the last 12 months, did you see a specialist?
48% Yes
52% No -> Go to Question 14
12. We want to know your rating of the specialist you saw most often in the last 12 months, including a personal doctor if he or she is a specialist. Use any number from 0 to 10 where 0 is the worst specialist possible, and 10 is the best specialist possible. How would you rate the specialist?
2% 0 - Worst specialist possible
1% 1
2% 2
2% 3
4% 4
9% 5
8% 6
9% 7
20% 8
15% 9
28% 10 - Best specialist possible
0% I didn't see a specialist in the last 12 months.
13. In the last 12 months, was the specialist you saw most often the same doctor as your personal doctor?
12% Yes
86% No
1% I don't have a personal doctor or I didn't see a specialist in the last 12 months.
Calling Doctors' Offices
14. In the last 12 months, did you call a doctor's office or clinic during regular office hours to get help or advice for yourself?
75% Yes
25% No -> Go to Question 16
15. In the last 12 months, when you called during regular office hours, how often did you get the help or advice you needed?
2% Never
14% Sometimes
31% Usually
53% Always
0% I didn't call for help or advice during regular office hours in the last 12 months.
Your Health Care in the Last 12 Months
16. A health provider could be a general doctor, a specialist doctor, a nurse practitioner, a physician assistant, a nurse, or anyone else you would see for health care.
In the last 12 months, did you make any appointments with a doctor or other health provider for regular or routine health care?
79% Yes
21% No -> Go to Question 19
17. In the last 12 months, how often did you get an appointment for regular or routine health care as soon as you wanted?
8% Never
21% Sometimes
33% Usually
37% Always
0% I didn't need an appointment for regular or routine care in the last 12 months.
18. In the last 12 months, how many days did you usually have to wait between making an appointment for regular or routine care and actually seeing a provider?
12% Same day
6% 1 day
17% 2-3 days
16% 4-7 days
22% 8-14 days
17% 15-30 days
9% 31 days or longer
1% I didn't need an appointment for regular or routine care in the last 12 months.
19. In the last 12 months, did you have an illness or injury that needed care right away from a doctor's office, clinic, or emergency room?
44% Yes
56% No -> Go to Question 22
20. In the last 12 months, when you needed care right away for an illness or injury, how often did you get care as soon as you wanted?
4% Never
11% Sometimes
27% Usually
59% Always
0% I didn't need care right away for an illness or injury in the last 12 months.
21. In the last 12 months, how long did you usually have to wait between trying to get care and actually seeing a provider for an illness or injury?
57% Same day
21% 1 day
10% 2 days
3% 3 days
4% 4-7 days
2% 8-14 days
3% 15 days or longer
0% I didn't need to get care right away for an illness or injury in the last 12 months.
22. In the last 12 months, how many times did you go to an emergency room to get care for yourself?
84% None
16% _______ Number of times (Write in.)
23. In the last 12 months (not counting times you went to an emergency room), how many times did you go to a doctor's office or clinic to get care for yourself?
12% None -> Go to Question 38
13% 1
16% 2
16% 3
16% 4
18% 5 to 9
9% 10 or more
24. In the last 12 months, how much of a problem, if any, was it to get the care you or a doctor believed necessary?
7% A big problem
14% A small problem
79% Not a problem
0% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
25. In the last 12 months, how much of a problem, if any, were delays in health care while you waited for approval from your health plan?
5% A big problem
12% A small problem
82% Not a problem
1% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
26. In the last 12 months, how often did you wait in the doctor's office or clinic more than 15 minutes past your appointment time to see the person you went to see?
23% Never
44% Sometimes
17% Usually
15% Always
0% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
27. In the last 12 months, how often did office staff at a doctor's office or clinic treat you with courtesy and respect?
0% Never
8% Sometimes
29% Usually
63% Always
0% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
28. In the last 12 months, how often were office staff at a doctor's office or clinic as helpful as you thought they should be?
1% Never
12% Sometimes
37% Usually
50% Always
0% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
29. In the last 12 months, how often did doctors or other health providers listen carefully to you?
2% Never
13% Sometimes
33% Usually
52% Always
0% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
30. In the last 12 months, how often did doctors or other health providers explain things in a way you could understand?
1% Never
10% Sometimes
32% Usually
56% Always
0% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
31. In the last 12 months, how often did doctors or other health providers show respect for what you had to say?
2% Never
9% Sometimes
32% Usually
57% Always
0% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
32. In the last 12 months, how often did doctors or other health providers spend enough time with you?
5% Never
16% Sometimes
36% Usually
42% Always
0% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
33. We want to know your rating of all your health care in the last 12 months from all doctors and other health providers. Use any number from 0 to 10 where 0 is the worst health care possible, and 10 is the best health care possible. How would you rate all your health care?
1% 0 - Worst health care possible
1% 1
1% 2
3% 3
4% 4
8% 5
6% 6
13% 7
25% 8
19% 9
18% 10 Best health care possible
0% 11 I had no visits in the last 12 months.
Your Health Plan
The next questions ask about your experience with your health plan.
34. Claims are sent to a health plan for payment. You may send in the claims yourself, or doctors, hospitals, or others may do this for you.
In the last 12 months, did you or anyone else send in any claims to your health plan?
22% Yes
66% No -> Go to Question 38
12% Don't Know -> Go to Question 38
35. In the last 12 months, how often did your health plan handle your claims in a reasonable time?
19% Never
12% Sometimes
23% Usually
33% Always
12% Don't Know
1% No claims were sent for me in the last 12 months.
36. In the last 12 months, how often did your health plan handle your claims correctly?
14% Never
15% Sometimes
17% Usually
35% Always
16% Don't Know
2% No claims were sent for me in the last 12 months.
37. In the last 12 months, before you went for care, how often did your health plan make it clear how much you would have to pay?
16% Never
9% Sometimes
16% Usually
47% Always
8% Don't Know
4% No claims were sent for me in the last 12 months.
38. In the last 12 months, did you look for any information in written materials from your health plan?
41% Yes
59% No -> Go to Question 40
39. In the last 12 months, how much of a problem, if any, was it to find or understand information in the written materials?
5% A big problem
23% A small problem
71% Not a problem
0% I didn't look for information from my health plan in the last 12 months.
40. In the last 12 months, did you call your health plan's customer service to get information or help?
44% Yes
56% No -> Go to Question 42
41. In the last 12 months, how much of a problem, if any, was it to get the help you needed when you called your health plan's customer service?
16% A big problem
23% A small problem
61% Not a problem
0% I didn't call my health plan's customer service in the last 12 months.
42. In the last 12 months, have you called or written your health plan with a complaint or problem?
13% Yes
87% No -> Go to Question 45
43. How long did it take for the health plan to resolve your complaint?
9% Same day
14% 1 week
10% 2 weeks
7% 3 weeks
14% 4 or more weeks
45% I am still waiting for it to be settled
0% I haven't called or written with a complaint or problem in the last 12 months.
44. Was your complaint or problem settled to your satisfaction?
77% Yes
13% No
11% I am still waiting for it to be settled
0% I haven't called or written with a complaint or problem in the last 12 months.
45. Paperwork means things like getting your ID card, having your records changed, processing forms, or other paperwork related to getting care. In the last 12 months, did you have any experiences with paperwork for your health plan?
22% Yes
78% No -> Go to Question 47
46. In the last 12 months, how much of a problem, if any, did you have with paperwork for your health plan?
4% A big problem
6% A small problem
90% Not a problem
0% I didn't have any experience with paperwork for my health plan in the last 12 months.
47. We want to know your rating of all your experience with your health plan.
Use any number from 0 to 10 where 0 is the worst health plan possible, and 10 is the best health plan possible. How would you rate your health plan now?
1% 0 - Worst health plan possible
1% 1
1% 2
2% 3
4% 4
9% 5
6% 6
16% 7
24% 8
19% 9
17% 10 - Best health plan possible
About You
48. In general, how would you rate your overall health now?
22% Excellent
39% Very good
29% Good
9% Fair
2% Poor
49. Have you ever smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your entire life?
38% Yes
61% No -> Go to Question 53
1% Don't Know -> Go to Question 53
50. Do you now smoke every day, some days, or not at all?
22% Yes -> Go to Question 52
17% Some days -> Go to Question 52
60% Not at all
1% Don't Know -> Go to Question 53
51. How long has it been since you quit smoking cigarettes?
9% Less than 12 months
88% 12 months or more -> Go to Question 53
3% Don't Know -> Go to Question 53
52. In the last 12 months, on how many visits were you advised to quit smoking by a doctor or other health provider in your plan?
20% None
19% 1 visit
35% 2 to 4 visits
11% 5 to 9 visits
6% 10 or more visits
10% I had no visits in the last 12 months.
53. What is your age now?
7% 18 to 24
13% 25 to 34
27% 35 to 44
31% 45 to 54
16% 55 to 64
5% 65 to 74
1% 75 or older
54. Are you male or female?
37% Male
63% Female
55. What is the highest grade or level of school that you have completed?
2% 8th grade or less
3% Some high school, but did not graduate
23% High school graduate or GED
32% Some college or 2-year degree
19% 4-year college graduate
22% More than 4-year college degree
56. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin or descent?
5% Hispanic or Latino
95% Not Hispanic or Latino
57. What is your race? Please mark one or more.
53% White
39% Black or African-American
6% Asian
1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
2% American Indian or Alaska Native
58. Did someone help you complete this survey?
3% Yes -> Go to Question 59
97% No -> Please return the survey in the postage paid envelope.
59. How did that person help you? Check all that apply.
39% Read the questions to me.
33% Wrote down the answers I gave.
22% Answered the questions for me.
0% translated the questions into my language.
6% (please print) _____________