Internetbrother, what is essentially comes down to as Joel stated, is that with most managed providers, they will go in and update your VPS without you having to submit a ticket. However, sometimes you might not want the provider to just "walk into" your VPS when ever you want. In my oppinion, KH strikes the right balance. They certainly will go above and beyond the call of duty if you submit a ticket, but they are not intrusive.
Hope that helps,