Anthem Blue Cross

Credit just dropped 70 points today because of this HORRIBLE company.

The worst ever — on their way to where CIGNA ended up a few years ago… A bunch of lawsuits probably until they learn their lesson (what are you doing with the Thousands that you’re collecting from paying companies and individuals, declining necessary tests and medications to patients. I am 38, 105 lbs, normally with a low blood pressure, and history of migraine headaches since 2007. Finally found a doctor who helped me reduce by 95% (also reduced my med intake and visits to the ER) and I have been doing great for over a year. Well, Blue Cross smart @$$ reviewing doc decided to decline my treatment and wants me to take 2 medications daily (high blood pressure med along with anti depressants!!!)
now even a person with no medical background knows better that this will put me dead on the floor. I would love to blast this doctor’s name on the internet, but rather I am going to stay professional and go through the medical board to report him. We put our lives and our kids and family’s in the hands of these individuals daily; I am not sure how well I can trust any of them due to the decisions of such examples as this one physician! I have also had other regular simple claims declined (as simple as regular prescriptions)
There is so much more detail that I would rather not type on the internet, but definitely will file a complaint with everything and my medical history info from my Neurologist, Cardiologist and other treating physicians. I had to see a Cardiologist due to the damage that one of the migraine medications left me with and that was due to a poor decision of a physician similar to the reviewing. I pay for this service and I will fight to get what I pay for.

I gave this company 1star because you have to provide a rating. I ordered a prescription from their preferred provider, Express Scripts, I got charged over $ 256.00 for this prescription. I sent it back along with my proof of purchase at Costco without an insurance claim for $ 30.99.
Anthem responded that I paid the guaranteed maximum price for this prescription. They were quite clear I got the best possible price from them.
Since then they have declined to pay for other significant medical testing ordered by a cardiologist because they think it was unnecessary
Avoid doing business with this terrible company. They do not have your best interests in mind and will deny any claim possible to keep you below your deductible. Avoid at all costs. Horrible company

Keep trying to reach them about 15 times since last week but nobody answers the phone. The system asks me to leave a message and they would call me back. I have left three messages since last week. I have not gotten a call back yet.

Unfortunately this is the insurance provided by my job. I had a medically necessary procedure done in November 2014. As always, my doctor waited for an authorization before scheduling for surgery. The hospital also verified coverage the day prior. Now it’s May 2016 and I’m getting calls from the hospital threatening to send me to collections because my insurance hasn’t paid a dime! I have been speaking to different «resolution specialists» since November 2015 and not one of them have been able to get this corrected, let alone give me a straight answer as to why they haven’t paid!!! Currently on hold for a little less than an hour for another «resolution specialist» by the name of Elaine to review my claim and hopefully give me an answer.
Anthem has consistently raised co-​pays and premiums over the last 2 years without any explanation and being that they receive their premiums monthly and on time, I would expect much better service from their customer service reps and claims teams. They wouldn’t even call the hospital to tell them they are reviewing this claim!
Next phone call I will be making will be to the Dept of Insurance if they don’t get this resolved ASAP!
Can’t imagine what would happen if I were seriously ill or injured …

This is the only coverage offered through my employer otherwise I never would have chosen this plan. Completely unethical in their review process for prescription medications requiring prior authorization. Anthem uses Express Scripts to review med. requests for Anthem members with RX coverage. They approved my husband to start a treatment for a serious debilitating medical condition that affects his mobility if left untreated-​Great, right? Wrong! 1 week after starting the titration starter pack of this medication they denied his physicians request to continue on the maintenance dose. Apparently within a matter of a couple of weeks he no longer «Met the coverage criteria». Absolutely unethical to approve a patient/​member to start a therapy then turn around and deny continuation of treatment that is working! Filed grievance via Anthem appeals-​same BS denial which now includes“No history of other medications tried for condition”-WHAT!The Customer Service Rep. who entered the appeal failed to take down very key points to support our appeal, plus they were using the wrong diagnosis!!! Trying to point out to these idiots, that I would hope this person reviewing the request should not only refer to list I provided but also their very own prescription claims history that guess what, will show he has taken the 2 main meds they want him to try first! UGH!! After much frustration, I hung up on the idiot I was talking too! Back to square one asking his doctor to resubmit writing the diagnosis in big capital letters and send with his records and my documents. Oh and by the way, I obtained a copy of Anthems coverage criteria for this medication and of course he meets every single one of their requirements. UGH! I need a drink STAT-​oh wait, Anthem will probably deny me that right as well.

Anthem, I just want you to love me. Why don’t you love me?
My company decided to switch providers because our previous coverage was abysmal. (Ironic foreshadowing.) I work for a health and wellness company that wants good health coverage for their employees. Why they chose this company, we may never know.
First, I am a health insurance company’s dream. I rarely visit the doctor and I am in 100% perfect health.
That said, getting them to pay for even a routine checkup is a hassle. They say that they never receive the forms that my doctor faxes over. You wait on hold for 30 minutes for someone to tell you that you need to call your doctor and have them resubmit. ANTHEM, I PAY YOU EVERY MONTH TO HELP A SISTER OUT.
I dread everything to do with them. I need my wisdom teeth out and I am already anticipating the hundreds of hours wasted on trying to get them to cover it even though two separate oral surgeons have given their professional opinion that they need to be medically removed to maintain my oral health.
Go with anyone else. Seriously.

They say one thing on the phone and later say something else completely different. They make mistakes and do not admit to them afterwards. This company is disgusting. A bunch of people who do not care the least about people on the other side of the phone. Nonetheless they go on charging us, making their money, paying their salaries, and making us feel like idiots. Simply disgusting!

I had to clarify an issue about a claim and Carlos E. was extremely helpful and savvy in solving my problem and answering my questions.

Do not select a plan with Anthem Blue Cross. Technical support is a joke. They literally hang up on you. Anthem corporate will do everything they can to turn a profit. If you sign up with Blue Cross get ready to do loads paper work to get the coverage your paying for.

I have to wait 40 minutes just to make a payment.
This is all because in the «land of the free home of the brave» you are forced to buy health insurance.
Thanks for nothing Obama. And now Hilary wants to keep Obamacare.
Vote for Bernie Sanders and lets get single payer system! Or at least vote for Donald Trump and stop supporting candidates that receive money from insurance scum.
Stop supporting the insurance cartels!!!
Look at all the one star votes. America is pissed off and there is nothing we the people can do about it.

Every interaction with them for 7 years has turned me into a huge advocate for socializing our healthcare system and eliminating healthcare for profit.
After I left for another insurance agency, they invented a charge for roughly $ 79 they claimed I owed for filling an Rx after my plan expired and sent the bill to me 8 months after I cancelled my plan. Then 30 days later they sent that same bill to a collection agency without responding to my concerns via phone message.
Their 1−844−860−9385 NEVER answers the line and I sat at my desk one day with my phone on speaker for over an hour while doing work and I remained on hold until I gave up. Hours later I did the same thing and gave up after 45 minutes. I’ve felt messages — that they encourage you to do — but never hear back from them. Disgusting organization. Pathetic.
I’m sure their CEO makes millions off this sort of stuff…

As a customer of Anthem, I can not even begin to tell you how disorganized, criminal, and negligent Anthem is. They have made every single claim I have ever made a major issue. Each one requiring escalation to the California Department of Insurance before being corrected.
In every case, Anthem did the wrong thing.
IF you have a choice in healthcare, choose something else.
IF you have Anthem, know your rights, and ask for IMR (Independent Medical Review) from the California Department of Insurance. It is easy and yields positive results.
IF you work for Anthem, shame.

This insurance sucks BAD. They increased all the co-​payments by A LOT for no reason without telling me. Its like they do it on a whim. No rhyme, no reason. And then, the one medication I need every month is no longer covered. We only cover generic meds, the letter said. Well, I AM taking the generic. They don’t want to pay for any medical services for anyone, they just want to keep your money. Then when I call to find out why, they transfer me to someone else, but my call never reaches that other person. I always get a «thank you for calling, goodbye» recording. JERKS!
From reading other people’s reviews here, Anthem Blue Cross better get its act together pretty darned fast. I will be more than happy to jump on a class action lawsuit along with everyone here who has had an issue with them.

ALERT for Anthem Plans in 2016:
Big changes are coming for your Anthem Blue Cross Health Insurance coverage that will severely limit your ability to maintain your health, and the health of your family. In addition to other manufactured strategies to shirk their responsibility to pay for healthcare services, THEY WILL NO LONGER PAY FOR THE REHABILITATION OF SPORTS INJURIES, OR INJURIES THAT KEEP YOU OUT OF WORK.
For a look at the Blue Cross lobbying Budget:

WOW! Just got a notice that insurance rate will increase 17% January 2016. So since Obamacare was started I will pay 374% more than I did prior to it starting… and I’m not even on that plan.
As always the corporations have won again.

I used to have United Healthcare EPO and Blue SHIELD (not Blue Cross) PPO. They used to coved my wife’s severe allergies and Hashimoto’s Disease treatments and my son’s allergy. Everything was fine. But then 3 years ago when my company switched to Blue Cross to save costs, Blue Cross rejected our claims that used to be covered by other insurance plans. A bunch of our claims fell onto the «we don’t cover this until you meet our ridiculously high deductible» status. Every single claim, we’ve fought tooth and nails and only a small fraction of that, that they decided to reverse their decision to cover. My bills have been mounting up ever since.
Maybe companies are saving a lot of money by switching to Blue Cross. But let me tell you something. SOMEONE is paying for the bills. The people. The employees. You and me.
In summary, if you have Blue Cross, DON’T GET SICK. WORSE. INSURANCE. EVER.

I have Anthem blue cross thru my spouse who works in a HOSPITAL! You would think #1 it would be decent coverage and #2 that if i used it at the hospital my spouse works at i would be covered.
Well i had my 2^nd daughter at my spouses hospital. Everything went fairly well until the new born hearing test. Blue Cross is denying the test as it was not preformed by an in network provider. Come on. Your telling me that the screening isn’t necessary because an in network doctor didn’t provide the service? I spoke with the hospital who said #1 a newborn can’t leave the hospital without this screening and #2 patients dont get to pick and choose who renders the service. its up to the hospital who they contract. After 2 appeals im giving up. So im out $ 275 as i didn’t want to be sent to collections! How is this legal?!

I’m bumping up my review from a 1 star to 3 stars as I’ve noticed a SIGNIFICANT improvement in their services. Wait times on the phone are much better and the customer service agents are much more knowledgable. Also, I realized that much of the issues I previously had were due to the billing department of Sequoia Hospital and not necessarily the fault of Anthem.
Still deducting 2 stars as they are sending me letters from third parties who are investigating my husband’s insurance situation despite my telling them I am not covered by him. They persist with the annoying letters. give it up guys I’m not going to waste my time filling out your stupid survey inquiring about my husband’s personal details!

I can support the general consensus that Anthem Blue Cross has a horrible inbound customer service system.
It’s IVR (interactive voice recording) based, so you’re continually reminded to press keys, verify if you speak Spanish or English and a whole lot of «buying time» run around that keeps you busy while they handle other calls.
The process to get to a live agent representative isn’t so difficult, but getting to the right agent is where you’re going to become a baton in a relay race of chaos.
Generally speaking, expect to be on the phone for a minimum of 5 transfers from one person to another.
Generally speaking, expect to be on the phone for a minimum of ONE HOUR between holding time and transferring from one representative who can’t help you to transfer to another who can’t help you as you get passed along and referred out.
There are no specialists nor direct dials. Your go to number is 800−777−6000.
You may in fact be best off dealing with Anthem online via their website.
The agent representatives are polite, but don’t seem qualified to assist, so in that evaluation, it’s one of the worst organizations I’ve encountered as far as being efficiently inefficient in their ability to service customers.
I’ve in fact been on the phone with them for over TWO HOURS while writing this review.
They have a «leave a number for a call back» method which takes about 30 minutes or more for a call back and you essentially get cued up to speak to another representative who can’t help you, but can most certainly transfer you to someone who they think can, but ultimately can’t and won’t.
I’d recommend the phone as the last option to contact Anthem Blue Cross, I’d say it could be quicker to visit the main offices (wherever that is) in person to speak to a human being, if that is even possible.
As a health care provider, I don’t have any complaints about Anthem Blue Cross since insurance as many know is at its very best when not used. It’s a safety net and something you’d ideally hate to get your money’s worth out of (which usually means something has gone wrong, be it medical issues for Health; car accident for Automotive; disasters for Home; or of course death for Life policies). So, this review is based purely on their customer service system, or lack there of.