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Agreement for paperless document delivery

The terms of this Agreement for paperless document delivery (referred to herein as “Agreement”) describe how Kaiser Permanente delivers documents related to your coverage to you electronically. We may amend the general or specific terms and conditions of this Agreement at any time by posting a revised version of it on the Document delivery preferences section of Profile and Preferences, located on kp.org. The revised version will become effective once posted on the website. However, if the revised version includes a material change in the substance of the Agreement, we will provide you with 30 days’ prior notice by sending you a notice by email, notifying you that the changes made to the terms of the Agreement have been posted. When you receive such a notice, you may be asked to provide consent to electronic delivery again.

Health plan coverage communications via kp.org

By accepting this agreement to receive documents electronically (all available ones or certain chosen ones), you agree to receive essential health plan coverage communications via the websites. These communications may include (but are not limited to):

Billing:

• Medical bills
• Premium billing statements
• Membership premium payment letters
  

Coverage and benefits:

• Annual membership information
• Annual plan information
• Coverage decision notices
• Enrollment and coverage
• Explanation of Benefits (EOB)
• Tax information
  

Other:

Other types of communications such as member satisfaction and other surveys (participation is optional)

• Welcome letters
• Information regarding preventive services
• Notices and certificates of creditable coverage
• Letters related to medical leave or disablement
  

Note: Depending on your plan and type of coverage and the Kaiser Permanente region where you are a member, not all documents and/or communications may be available in your region. As additional communications and documents are added to those already available electronically, Kaiser Permanente will notify you. You may be asked to consent again to the receipt of documents electronically.

Electronic delivery of health plan coverage communications

To understand the types of letters or documents relating to health plan coverage that can be provided electronically and that you may choose to receive through kp.org, refer to the Specific documents available for electronic delivery section at the end of this agreement. You may always change your mind and receive any of your health plan coverage communications or documents in paper. To get a copy of a specific health plan coverage communication or document in paper, contact Member Services.

A. Electronic delivery method

If you consent to the receipt of documents relating to health plan coverage by electronic delivery, such documents will be made available on the websites electronically. All documents that we provide to you in electronic form, will be provided either (1) via email; (2) via the websites as described in an email notice we send to you at the time the information is available; (3) to the extent permissible by law, by access to a third party website as described in advance for such purpose in an email notice we send to you at the time the information is available; or (4) by an email requesting you access or download a PDF file from the websites containing the document.

Note: You will have the opportunity to print or save this information about electronic delivery and keep it for your records. By consenting, you also agree to print out or download all documents we provide to you electronically and keep copies for your records.

B. Notification that you have a new document

When a new document is delivered electronically through kp.org, we will send an email notification to the primary email address found in your kp.org profile. If Kaiser Permanente receives a notification of delivery failure (i.e. a “bounce message”) that indicates that the primary email address which we have on file for you is no longer valid, we will suspend electronic delivery and return to paper delivery of your documents. We will then mail your documents to the last known mailing address on file.

C. Hardware and software requirements

To access and retain your electronic documents, you will need the following computer hardware and software:

• A computer with an internet connection
• A current web browser that includes 128-bit encryption with cookies enabled. Browsers that are supported: For Windows 8.1 or 10: Edge, Firefox, Chrome. For Macintosh: Safari 13.x, Firefox, Chrome. For iPad iOS 13: Safari. Mobile devices: Apple iOS 13.x, Android 7.x through 10.x.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader version 8.0 or later to open documents in PDF format
• A valid email address (your primary email address in your kp.org profile)
• Sufficient storage space to save past documents or an installed printer to print them
• You agree that you have access to the necessary hardware and software as listed above, and are able to receive, open, and print or download a copy of any document for your records.

We will notify you if there are any material changes to the hardware or software needed to receive electronic documents from Kaiser Permanente at least 30 days in advance of the date any such changes are made. At that time, we will also provide instructions on how to withdraw, change, or renew your consent for electronic delivery of your documents.

D. Updating your contact information

It is your responsibility to keep your primary email address up to date so that Kaiser Permanente can communicate with you electronically.

You understand and agree that if Kaiser Permanente sends you an email notification that an electronic document has been posted, and we do not receive a notification of delivery failure (i.e. a “bounce message”), Kaiser Permanente will be deemed to have provided the communication to you. This could occur if, for example, you do not receive it because your primary email address on file is blocked by your service provider, or you are otherwise unable to receive electronic communications. Please note that if you use a spam filter that blocks or re-routes emails from senders not listed in your email address book, you must add the Kaiser Permanente email address to your email address book so that you will be able to receive the communications we send to you (please consult the instructions of your spam filter for specific directions on how to do this).

You can update your primary email address or mailing address at any time through your kp.org profile to change your primary email address, or your mailing address.

In the event Kaiser Permanente receives notification of delivery failure, will then mail your documents to the last known mailing address on file.

E. How to withdraw your consent

Your consent will remain in effect until you explicitly withdraw your consent by contacting Member Services or changing your document delivery preferences through your kp.org profile.

F. Requesting paper copies of electronic communications

If after you consent to receive your documents electronically you would like to receive a paper copy of a document we previously sent you, you may request a paper copy within one year of the date we provided the document to you by contacting Member Services.

Specific documents available for electronic delivery

Billing

Available documents for electronic delivery include:

• Medical bills
  After each medical billing cycle, a medical billing statement for medical services will be available for you to view identifying amounts that require payment from you for medical services received at Kaiser Permanente facilities and locations.
• Premium billing statements
  Prior to each coverage month, a premium billing statement will be available for you to view amounts that are owed and require payment from you for continuation of your coverage with Kaiser Permanente.
• Membership premium payment letters related to individual plan coverage
  While you are a Kaiser Permanente member, over time you may receive documents related, but not limited to: Payment confirmations and / or delinquencies, letters related to direct billing and payment activities, rate changes, account status changes, and renewal notices describing coverage and rate changes.

Coverage and benefits

Available documents for electronic delivery include:

• Annual plan information
  You may receive documents related, but not limited to: Annual Notice of Changes (ANOC), Evidence of Coverage (EOC) and any amendments, Summary of Benefits (SBC), Medicare Part D Abridged Formulary, pharmacy directory, and provider directories.
• Kaiser Permanente for Individuals and Families (KPIF) annual membership information
  Kaiser Permanente is required to mail your Annual Membership information, unless you request to get it electronically. If you do not select electronic delivery through kp.org by August 1, we must continue to mail the information even if you tell us separately that you want electronic delivery.
  Your consent to electronically to receive your annual membership information will be applicable for all future renewals until you revoke your consent or your membership ends.
• Coverage decision notices
  Depending on your medical needs, you or your physician may request prior approval such as prior authorization, pre-certification and requests to extend or shorten a course of care for certain medical services, including but not limited to durable medical equipment and supplies, and Kaiser Permanente will provide responses to these requests.
  In addition, Kaiser Permanente may respond to your complaints, grievances and appeals as well as send you correspondence relating to such complaints, grievances and appeals. 
• Enrollment and coverage
  You may receive communications documents related to your enrollment and coverage including, but not limited to: Plan changes, confirmations of enrollment choices, enrollment kits, notices and certificates of creditable coverage, subsidy determination letters, notices related to cancellations or rejections, updates regarding COBRA rates, corrections to coverage (including adds and changes), open enrollment documents and materials, welcome to Kaiser Permanente letters.
• Explanation of Benefits (EOB) including Medicare Part C and Medicare Part D)
  Depending on your coverage, you may receive a standard EOB, a Medicare Part C EOB, or a Medicare Part D EOB.
  You get an EOB only if you receive services. It's not a bill. It's a list of the services you received and any cost sharing for those services that may still be owed to either Kaiser Permanente or your contracted provider.
  It takes us about 30 days to process your request to go paperless, so you may receive paper EOB documents in the mail until the paperless delivery goes into effect.
• Tax information such as your IRS Form 1095-B
  The IRS Form 1095-B reports the type of coverage you have, any dependents covered by your plan (if any), and the period of coverage for the previous tax year. Alternatively, you may receive a Form 1095-A due to your coverage through a governmental program or exchange.
  Health plan issuers such as Kaiser Permanente, which provide fully insured commercial coverage, must report to the IRS annually on the minimum essential coverage they provide for all enrolled individuals.
  These issuers are also required to provide a statement, IRS Form 1095-B, to each subscriber. This information may be used to verify that you have the health care coverage required under applicable law.
  In the event we do not have your Social Security Number (SSN), or Tax Identification Number, for you or your dependents, we may reach out to you to request this IRS required information.