Oct. 17—Northeast Pennsylvanians should worry about Kaiser Permanente's pending acquisition of Geisinger Health, according to a union representing California health care workers.
The union's advertising campaign targeting the deal is a "disappointing tactic" in a labor dispute, Kaiser said.
Geisinger and California-based Kaiser announced in April plans for the newly formed Risant Health, a nonprofit created by Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, to acquire Geisinger under a deal subject to regulatory approval. The Danville-based health system would be the first to join Risant, which would operate independently and eventually grow by acquiring and connecting additional community based health systems.
The deal won't change the way patients receive care, Geisinger said at the time, noting care teams would remain the same and patients will continue using their same insurance at the same facilities.
But SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, a union representing more than 100,000 health care workers, patients and consumers in the Golden State, questions whether that's the case.
The union is behind a campaign called "Elephant in the Waiting Room" targeting the Kaiser/Geisinger deal and accusing Kaiser of trying to take over the local system. It suggests the pending transaction could lead to staffing issues, longer emergency room wait times, higher costs and other issues.
"This is a huge deal that will impact millions in NEPA, and Kaiser isn't saying a thing about what it will mean for patients," a message on the campaign's website reads. "So what is Kaiser hiding? Less coverage? Rate hikes? Fewer options for doctors? Staff cuts? Worse healthcare? Whatever it is, we need answers."
The Elephant in the Waiting Room advertising push coincided with a large-scale labor dispute that ended last week with a tentative deal between Kaiser and a coalition of unions representing tens of thousands of workers in several states. The contract agreement, which awards raises and aims to address health care staffing shortages, followed a three-day strike earlier this month.
While the union did not respond to a request for comment about the motivation for the campaign, Kaiser attributed it to the contract dispute.
"This was part of a campaign to create leverage in recent contract bargaining, by attacking Kaiser Permanente to pressure it to give in to contract demands," Kaiser said in a statement. "It's a disappointing tactic, which had nothing to do with Geisinger Health."