The more than 2,000 mental health therapists on strike will remain off the job until Kaiser increases staffing at its clinics and ends “dangerously long” wait times for therapy sessions, according to the NUHW. The union contends Kaiser is breaking California law and violating clinical standards by making patients wait months to start therapy and four to eight weeks between appointments.
California law requires health plans to arrange for care to be provided out of network if timely access to mental health services is unavailable from in-network providers.
