Anthem

Anthem Blue Cross (Anthem) dropped all federal employees and retirees in a letter dated 9/20/11 without warning. I am a federal retiree. I changed to a health insurance covered by the Office of Personnel Management's approved list. Anthem terminated its coverage as of 12/31/11. My new insurance started 1/1/12. I have been getting letters from Anthem (the last one dated 4/25/12) stating that the premium for my policy is due 5/1/12, and that I have 30 days to pay it or Anthem will cancel my policy. This is the third letter I have received. I do not owe Anthem for any premiums. My health insurance premiums are taken out of my federal annuity automatically. I want Anthem to stop asking for money, clear my account and apologize for its mistake.

This is making me sick and I don't know if I can sustain the unbelievable rate increases by Blue Cross. Here is a chart of my monthly rate increases since 2009 for my PPO Share 500 - (1929) policy: Baseline rate $567 - April 1, 2009; 10.8% increase $678 - October 1, 2010; 23.7% increase $839 - July 1, 2011; 19.6% increase $1004 - May 1, 2012. Within the last 11 months, a whopping 43.3% increase. A total increase since 2009 of 54.1%!

Also, since 2009, Blue Cross has increased deductibles and reduced benefits! I'm feeling very ill. My heart sinks. I might as well get real sick just to get something for my money! At this rate, I will get sick. This is unsustainable for my middle class family of just my wife and I. I am going to get sick working my ass off just to pay the over $12,000 in insurance costs per year! I might as well give up and die. My hard earned income is just being funneled to Blue Cross. I've been with Blue Cross since I was 21 years old, but I guess all that money I gave them isn't enough. Is Blue Cross giving me 54.1% better coverage? Yeah, right. I'm ready to just give up. Bring on the death panels.

Anthem Blue Cross went up from $224.00 to $276.00 last year on my secondary insurance 20% to Medicare. I have been getting the run around and this is a huge jump in a year. They went up again this year. They said it's because I am 62, on permanent disability and people used it too much. No other plans went up but this one with Anthem Blue Cross.

This is ridiculous. This company is getting way out of hand and paying for less and less. No one will help me with phone calls I have made, with letters I have sent. No response what so ever! They refuse to give me an answer. The insurance commissioner needs to jump in and see what they are doing to customers and perhaps get media involved and open another insurance company who will not cheat customers. That's a $50.00 increase. My husband pays $224.00 for the past 1 year he has been a customer and has gone on Medicare.

Someone has to do something with Anthem Blue Cross and see insurance companies. We are overpaying for insurance in CT. That is why people are leaving this state when they become seniors. I can't afford it and God forbid, you live until 90's, most monies will be gone to taxes, insurances, and more taxes. I want to be contacted any time. Thank you very much.

Rate hike again for the third time in two years! I want California to stop hammering on me increasing healthy care premiums for individuals that pay for the politician's golden thrown. How the ** can they agree allowing Blue Cross another rate hike while the government talks of improvements. I hate living in California because we are so used and mistreated by the inefficient political leaders. It is more cost effective to be an illegal immigrant with no money and live for free off those afraid of the government. I am fed up! ** ** Dave Jones is just another **.

I paid for State Wide Van to pack everything, being physically disabled. Besides being inadequate about the whole incident, two men went to pack. They never sent anyone out to view what was needed. Only thing they told me is what % of tip they get. Needless to say, 14 hours to pack, they stayed until 3 am. Since I already paid a down payment which was non refundable due to the time frame, I was stuck with them.

After 4 months in storage, I had them deliver to my new place. Well things were broke and the delivery men told me and gave me the name and number of the insurers. They said all was covered by them, since they packed. So I called Anthem Claim Management, they sent me the form with instructions. I did what they asked in the time frame they asked with pictures.

I got a letter back stating nothing is covered. I didn't send pictures. I didn't send the info in the 9 month time frame. So I called up and she said, "All you are due is $54.00." My handicap son's TV and the lens are cracked. My wood headboard to a canopy waterbed is broke. The headboard is cracked all the way north to south. I cannot sleep on my bed. Others things that they packed are broke also.

I wrote to Anthem on March 13, 2012 to request a re-investigation of their business decision to categorize my December 29, 2012 mammogram as if it was performed at an out of network provider. The day of the service, the women's clinic staff recommended that I called the number on my Anthem Blue Cross Insurance prior to the procedure to confirm coverage due to repeat issues their clients have had with the processing of mammogram claims; therefore, I made the call and provided my group number and ID number and subsequently explained to the individual who answered the phone where I was and that the staff suggested I call and confirm that the mammogram was covered under preventative care and that I would only pay a co-pay as the clinic indicated that several of their clients have had issues with their insurance regarding mammograms.

The individual who answered the phone said that Women's Care clinic was in network and that I was covered and should feel free to proceed with the mammogram; however, after receiving my bill, I learned that Anthems staff provided me with incorrect information and that my mammogram was not covered as in-network and that the procedure went against my plan's deductible. To provide misinformation is an unfair practice; therefore, I have written Anthem to request that they re-review my claim and pay the claim as in-network due to their staff's error. I will update you with the results of their investigation.

I have contacted Anthem on a few occasions to check on an order that I got through a company called Medtronics. This is the company I get my diabetic supplies through. Part of the supplies I get (or used to get) are also related to my being diabetic. The "disposable sensors" are essential to my life. They let me know when my sugar is low/high. Without the sensors, I don't know when my sugar has dropped until it's dangerously low/high. Anthem has covered them before and now all of a sudden, the senors are not covered. I can not understand why such an important part of my being diabetic and having these sensors are no longer important enough to the insurance to cover them? I'm now down to 3 weeks of sensors left, then I'm out. Please expedite this as I have been waiting for this to be decided or figured out in regards to why I can no longer get these.

I will be 48 years old on May 1, 2012. I just received a letter from Anthem Blue Cross about increasing my monthly payment from $667 to $865 ($198 increase) after May 1, 2012. They have increased the monthly payment every year. It is a payroll check amount! Why nobody can stop them?

Anthem is raising my rates for health insurance by 21%.

Anthem Blue Cross is raising my premium for individual policy by 19.1%. I just changed policies so that I could get some preventative care and my premium went up just $3 but my deductible went from $2500 to $3500. I currently pay $308/month and it covers basically nothing and it takes a catastrophe to meet the deductible. Now, it will be going to $367 per month! They are openly blaming Obama Care and I think that is so wrong. I can not get cheaper coverage anywhere as I have documented manic/depressive, bipolar disorder for many years and they can put you in the super high rates for that. This is so out of control and I don't think anyone in the government is doing a thing to stop it.

Health insurance rises from $70/month to $1800/month. My 23-year-old daughter left her job to go back to school. When I tried to add her to my policy, we both had Anthem, her monthly premium jumped to $1800 per month because she has psoriasis and had a wrist injury. Of course neither of us could afford that so she is now uninsured. It is so utterly ridiculous I still can't believe it. I only paid $130.00 for her before on my policy and she only paid $70 through work. It's highway robbery!

I am having total knee replacement surgery on 2/22/12. My surgeon has adamantly suggested I have home health care and rehab after my arrival home, and then outpatient physical therapy after that's done. I've been informed that I have a $2400 deductible for home health care in addition to my normal policy deductible. This is an abomination. The price of health insurance is exorbitant to begin with, and then to gouge the consumer with outrageous charges like this is mind boggling.

I cancelled my wife's health insurance on the form provided by Anthem on 1/25/12 in writing. They took $219.00 out of my checking on 2/6/12. I have been trying to get the money back with no success. I called on 2/10/12 and was told that a check had been mailed on 2/9/12. I was told by Sadie (Anthem Grievance Associate) that the check would be at my house by 2/16/12. I still have not received my refund check. I called at 4:30 PM today and after being on hold for over 20 minutes, that everyone is in a meeting and I could not leave a message. I was told that nobody was available to help me. What do I do?

Just received another increase of over 25% this year. No real explanation--just a lot of it could be this or that. Shouldn't they identify real reasons why the premiums would increase this much in a single year? Seems like they have a "charge anything" kind of approach to me. I try and carry the high deductible HSA plan that was supposed to be good for the system, but I will soon no longer be able to afford even that. Particularly since I also have to pay for all my actual health care.

I received a letter on May 03, 2011 claiming I will receive my unused power account funds. After a while of not receiving anything, I gave them a call on June 13, 2011 and they told me in six months I would receive it.

I am guessing they would hope I'd forget all about it, but I did not so I called again on December 31, 2011. I talked to a guy for a little bit. I could barely get a word in during the conversation but he told me to call back in two weeks. I called them today, January 26, 2012, they told me I would not receive the unused power account funds; it was only a mistake. They are feeding me some **.

The problem with my experience is that no entities have done anything technically illegal, though why health care isn't considered a crime nowadays baffles me. I just needed to gripe about the state of health care in this country.

As a small business owner, I have been paying my own health insurance bills for 21 years. Every year, it goes up double digit percentage points. I am just finishing up paying about $4,000 for it this past year and next year, it will be closer to $5,000 if I stick with the same plan. Or I can opt to keep the same cost and get virtually no benefits.

My doctor wanted me to have two fairly routine tests done, a stress test and an echocardiogram, so after paying him $50 for the 15 minutes I talked to him, I had the tests scheduled. I was in the hospital about an hour and the two tests apparently cost $2,400. Anthem was kind enough to pay a quarter of that bill. That left over $1,700 for me. I never would have scheduled them if I had known that they would be that much. Do hospitals have a price list somewhere? Several calls to the hospital and Anthem brought no relief. The hospital said they could put me on a payment plan. Gee, thanks.

Now, my "This is not a bill" statement came for the doctor. I don't even know what it's for. It's from Anthem, it mentions the tests and my doctor, but the doctor wasn't there for them. Anthem is covering some of that. The cost to me looks like an additional $315. I'm thinking that I still have a bill coming from the doctor who was actually in the room for one test. That will likely be in the hundreds of dollars. Then, I'll have to pay another $50 for my doctor to tell me the test results.

Anthem just chalked it all up under my deductible. I have always had a deductible and this is what I get. But really, what has happened to this country? I pay $4,000, soon to be $5,000 a year, for insurance and then I have the privilege of paying $3,000 more for any services before they'll start cracking out the benefits.

For now, I guess I'll just have to keep hawking my retirement to keep insurance and try like the dickens to never use it. Here's a bunch of money, thanks for giving me nothing in return. It seems to me that I might be better off sticking the money under my mattress and paying hospitals in cash or throwing the money out the window.

Another few years and it's going to be cheaper for me to move to another country and just fly here when I need to get some work done--except then I'll have to deal with the airlines.

I have written several times to get the transcripts, written, oral recorded to CD and typed records for the past 3.5 yrs from the 24/7 Nurseline to no avail. I have sent status report request as of recent. I need these records due to the volatile condition of my nervous system as it connects to my heart and teeth after a chiropractor performed an evasive procedure, bending the right femur in my leg to stretch the injury out of the spinal cord after I was hit crossing the street in a cross walk in 2008.

The complaint and summons was filed without my agreement by legal tech and filed incorrectly. An out of court settlement of $10 million. It was offered then denied ever having occurred. The attorneys of many whom I have contacted have all reported to me, "They won't let us take your case and represent you." First submission of this form states invalid captcha, registered victim of ID theft, approx. 1984 through D.A. Ed ***/Child support office in connection with Quigley, mayor of West Covina and Ehrle family, with eldest sibling and husband, to the best of my knowledge.

Had a health coverage individual policy w/ Anthem for several years. I paid approximately $250/month. I could never call this s policy because it didn't cover anything. I felt I needed to protect my real estate in case of a catastrophic accident or illness. Shortly before my medicare began (10/1/11), I was told on several occasions that preventive procedures would be covered. I was encouraged to use this insurance for a Colonoscopy. Thinking that I might get some benefit from the thousands of dollars in paid premiums, I had the procedure on 9/28/11.

I was told as was well, 3 polops had been biopsied - negative. Soon, I began receiving statements for $488/lab work for the biopsy. Anthem's response was that the procedure lab work ceased to be covered due to the need for examination of the polops. What part of the procedure was not considered preventive care? Why was I not told in several calls that the lab fee was not included? Fraud can be slipped by so discretely, deception by insurance companies. The reason that they are one of the most profitable businesses in the world. When will we realized that health care for profit creates, greed and fraud. A never ending vicious cycle. Getting worse by the day. Hope the Joe Public's are paying attention.

I was mailed the Lumenous HSA brochure, which I requested. I reviewed it and it looked good. The representative from Anthem at the same time emailed me the application. I filled it out only to find out later that they had given me the lower grade insurance. I had a catastrophic event after enrollment and have paid over $12,000 in bills. I called them to ask what was going on because according to the Lumenous, all this is covered. I was informed I filled out the application for Blue Direct, which I did not even know existed. I asked to change to the Lumenous after explaining. They sent me the Lumenous brochure with a Blue Direct application and was told that now I have a pre-existing condition and am not able to change. This is fraud on their behalf. I warn people this is not the first time I have heard of them doing this. Be forewarned and do not allow them to trick you!

I have a plan with them which includes child physical exam for my daughter. However, when she did her annual physical, they charged me 80% of doctor's bill while I am paying the premium. They say it had to meet the deductible. But in the initial plan they say that the child physical exam is included.

The cost of Insurance! In less than 4 years our health insurance has gone up from $900 a month to over $1,600 a month for the basic HMO Saver family plan. How can the public start spending money and turn around this economy, when we're getting ripped off like this? Something needs to be done to regulate their greed! They're making $$$, we're suffering. I can't even figure out how or who to complain to. The Blue Cross just doesn't Care!

Our family is enrolled in Anthem Blue Cross Power Select PPO Plan (in California). I learned that not all PPO plans are created equal. If I can give 0 star to this plan, I would. Here's my source of complaint.

We discovered earlier this year that the in-network providers on the more expensive Anthem PPO plan are not available for the Power Select PPO Plan. As a result, our family could no longer go to the same family doctors we've been going for years. We discovered that this plan now comes with 2 deductibles: $500 deductible for in-network providers and $1000 deductible for out-of-network providers. The 2 deductibles are separate. If you see doctors (i.e. chiropractor) both from in-network and out-of-network, you must fulfill both deductibles (yes, $500 plus $1000) before they'd reimburse 80% of the medical expenses.

There was not a single Power Select PPO in-network doctors in the city in which we live. Mind you that the city in which we live has over 210,000 in population, not a small city by any measure. Instead, Anthem sent us a list of in-network doctors in neighboring cities. It is appalling and infuriating that we had to travel to another town to see an in-network doctor! Their website (www.anthem.com/ca) is archaic and very user unfriendly. I wonder why they don't use search engine such as Google to enable an easier search for a doctor. I consider myself web savvy but give up using their website in frustration. I wonder if insurance company purposely make everything difficult for patients so we will give up contacting them. I called Anthem Blue Cross (800-765-2588) today (Oct 17, 2011) and waited for 1 hour and 8 minutes before I reached a live person. This is totally unacceptable. Where is good customer service? Lesson learned: insist on confirming the list of preferred providers before signing up on a particular PPO plan.

My wife has been treated for bipolar and manic depression and was undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Anthem notified Mayo that they will no longer be covering for her as an inpatient; they will cover for her as an outpatient only. My wife's doctor and staff requested an appeal two times and were denied. Mayo felt she needed continued inpatient medical care. I took her out to our motel and was trying as an outpatient. My wife showed signs of stress, restlessness and anxiety and was vomiting, crying and et cetera.

On the next day, I returned her back to the ER at Mayo, and she was readmitted. Her doctor again requested for an appeal and was again denied. Anthem even refused to allow me to contact them to plea for my wife's welfare. How can a world class clinic with world class doctors be denied allowing a very ill patient to be hospitalized? I have contacted the BBB (Better Business Bureau), our school union (NEA of Indiana State) and our school's lawyer for any action on behalf of my wife. The state of Indiana said they will look into this matter.

I had a very involved intravenous procedure with a stent placed near my heart. Anthem paid measly $1,200 then claimed they did not receive a full bill. Then they said it is "usual and customary". Then they claimed to have never received anything, then they demanded more codes form me, then they went ahead and paid a doctor who was paid in full by me instead of reimbursing me.

I am still calling every two weeks for what soon is going to be a year. They don't keep records (or pretend not to). Everything has to be explained from the beginning from one CS rep to the next.

Never in my life have I dealt with such dis-organization. My car insurance is way more responsible, organized and quick. One would think that health insurance would be considered a little more important.

I had a brain tumor and underwent surgery in March of 2010. The total billed to Anthem Blue Cross of the hospital and doctors was right around $129,829.44 (not including all the pre-surgery appointments). Anthem Blue Cross paid a total of $6,271.24 leaving me with a very large balance and causing me financial hardship.

I cancelled my insurance policy and my daughter's by claiming late payment. There was auto pay for years, but they cancelled that option and told me I should have checked the notice on the bottom of my bill. I didn't check the bill. I had auto-pay!

This insurance was taking $69.90 extra out my account for two years plus the insurance amount I agreed to.

Then when I realized what they were doing, they decided to cancel my insurance on false pretenses. Saying I did not pay my insurance, when it is deducted from my checking account at the beginning of the month. And I have proof they took the money from my account

I ruptured my Achilles tendon. I went to the ER and then to my primary. They both verified that I had a possible tear/rupture of the AT. My doctor referred me to an orthopedic surgeon and to get an MRI.

Anthem denied my referral stating I needed to have more treatment from my primary doctor. They can't do anything further for me.

Issue # 1. Aside from the unmanageable increase in premiums and decrease in coverage, Anthem have now stopped allowing auto pay to credit cards. In order to use a credit card, I must call each month in which I am charged an additional $15 per month. I had been on auto credit card pay for years at no additional cost.

Issue #2. Also, they do not cover those items that were supposedly mandatory under the new law because I am "grandfathered" in to some exclusion that they found.

I've been paying my health care insurance premium with my credit card. Until recently, have been able to call an 800 number and self direct myself to pay my bi-monthly bill. I just received a letter stating that starting Aug 2011, there will be a $15 charge to pay a premium with a credit card. The only "fee free" option they offer is to write a check (which they charge $2 paper fee for) or hook up your checking acct for online pay. Customer service said Anthem pays $700,000 in credit card banking fees per month and is looking to save money.

I'm outraged since that savings is obviously not trickled down to me...my premium was just raised and they took the liberty to raise my co-pay and deductible. I can grocery shop and pay with my credit card, pay my cell phone, cable bill, buy anything online and NOT incur a fee. This is just another snakey way to screw the customers and needs to be stopped. I feel that charging customers a fee to pay with their cc is against the law as well as raising the deductible that I bought into. I can just imagine that more people will feel the same way. It's time they treat their customers with respect instead of putting their shareholders first!

I have smoldering Multiple Myeloma, which is a type of blood plasma cancer. I also have an auto-immune condition called Sjogren's Syndrome, which puts me at risk of Lymphoma. A mass was found in my chest on my Thymus gland and several "spots" in the upper portions of both my lungs in Dec. 2010. I was to have these biopsied on 1/21/11. Anthem Blue Cross denied this biopsy, stating that it is not medically necessary. They stated that the medical code for this procedure does not fall under the commonly used codes which are approved within Medicare guidelines. Anthem uses Medicare's guidelines as their own for approval of procedures. Anthem is the only insurance company that denies this type of biopsy and even Medicare patients have received this specific biopsy from my doctor.

This biopsy procedure is special in that it is an outpatient procedure and has the capability of reaching all the areas where cell sampling is needed to make an initial diagnosis. Depending upon what type of cancer is indicated, the management and treatments differ. Due to this biopsy denial, I am now faced with my next option, which is a Sternotomy. A procedure that is much more invasive as my sternum must be opened, requires a hospital stay and will only address the mass on my Thymus and not the spots in my lungs.

I have been trying for almost two hours to find out if I have vision coverage. Anthem Blue Cross, 800-333-0912, just gets your information and puts you in a queue that goes nowhere, no one ever answers. I've tried on-line at the anthem site. It does not show under benefits. There is no search button. I went to Customer Care section, my plan is not listed. I used the number for a PPO plan and got senior services. They transferred me back to another 37-minute holding pattern before hanging up. I went back to the site to "e-mail us" which refers to the message center. I sent a message, no answer. I tried going through an Anthem site online, she was very helpful, but again, she could not get me anyone online. My premiums are increasing and I cannot get an answer. I have a disputed claims issue with my cardiologist, but I can't resolve it because my insurance carrier is not reachable. They are not accessible. I went through this a few months ago when Blue Cross refused to fill my prescription. I had to postpone by dental surgery because I could not reach anyone to get my prescription authorized.

I am a 35 year old female with a 2 1/2 year old daughter. I currently pay Anthem Blue Cross $666 per month for my medical insurance premium for me alone. Anthem Blue Cross denying me a procedure 6 Orthopedic Surgeons say I need. Anthem's employed physician says it's "Not Medically Necessary". Over the past 3 1/2 years I've had really bad lower back pain and sciatica running down my entire buttocks and left leg to foot. I've tried all conservative methods the doctors gave as a course of treatment, anti-inflammatory medications, pain medications, physical therapy, acupuncture, injections, chiro, light exercise, massage, etc. All of which either provided very little to no help.

The pain has moved into my right leg recently so doctors ordered 2nd MRI which showed completely degenerated disc and bulge and doctors say spinal fusion at L5 S1. 2 days before the surgery. Anthem Blue Cross paid physician "Dr. Marappa **" denies the authorization stating not medically necessary based on a Milliman Care Guide. Also my Surgeon put in multiple requests for a Peer to peer (what physicians will often do so they can help the Anthem Physician understand your injury or problem). Their "Dr." never returned my doctors call and did not honor the peer to peer.

After sending over records from other physicians who supported the surgery, Anthem "Dr." still denied the authorization. I'm only 3, how can Anthem be allowed to force me to be in pain for the rest of my life or go bankrupt trying to finance this procedure on my own. How do I take care of my 2 1/2 year old daughter with this back pain and sleep deprived from the pain? Is this legal? Is this humane? Is this what average income Americans should expect moving forward in terms of quality of life and Healthcare?

I am a 35-year-old female with a 2 1/2 year-old daughter. I currently pay Anthem Blue Cross $666 per month for my medical insurance premium for me alone. Anthem Blue Cross denying me a procedure six orthopedic surgeons say I need. Anthem's employed physician says it's "not medically necessary". Over the past 3 1/2 years I've had really bad lower back pain and sciatica running down my entire buttocks and left leg to foot. I've tried all conservative methods the doctors gave as a course of treatment--anti-inflammatory medications, pain medications, physical therapy, acupuncture, injections, chiro, light exercise, massage, etc. All of which either provided very little to no help. The pain has moved into my right leg recently so doctors ordered second MRI, which showed completely degenerated disc and bulge and doctors say spinal fusion at L5 S1.

Two days before the surgery, Anthem Blue Cross paid physician "Dr. Marappa ** denies the authorization stating not medically necessary based on a Milliman Care Guide. Also my surgeon put in multiple requests for a Peer-to-Peer (what physicians will often do so they can help the Anthem physician understand your injury or problem). Their "Dr." never returned my doctor's call and did not honor the peer-to-peer. After sending over records from other physicians, which supported the surgery, Anthem "Dr." still denied the authorization.

I'm only 35. How can Anthem be allowed to force me to be in pain for the rest of my life or go bankrupt trying to finance this procedure on my own? How do I take care of my 2 1/2 year-old daughter with this back pain and deprived sleep from the pain? Is this legal? Is this humane? Is this what average-income Americans should expect moving forward in terms of quality of life and healthcare? Please help.

The State of Colorado charges people who have insurance a charge to cover the medical costs of people who don't. This charge is assessed through people's insurance policies. In 2009, the assessment was $25.13. But Anthem decided to charge its customers $3.15 for 8 months. The problem is that comes to $25.20, and increase of 7 cents. That also comes to $56,000 for Anthem's 800,000 members. Having scammed the public in 2009, they did it again in 2010, this time for $55 per customer, for a total of $440,000 from overcharged Colorado residents. The Colorado Division of Insurance doesn't seem to care.

We have a 13 year old completely disabled child named, Andrew. He has been disabled since birth. He is developmentally 11 months old and relies on my wife and I for his complete care as well as a nurse that comes to the house in the evenings (this coverage was denied also by Anthem).

My wife is winning her fight with cancer but unfortunately the removal of the lymph nodes under her right arm left her weak in that arm. Andrew is now about 81 pounds. This makes it nearly impossible for my wife to move him around (nurses are not allowed to lift more than 50 pounds) and bathing him is very difficult since if we change his body temperature too rapidly and chill him, he can have seizures (this was verified by Dr. Debra Holder from Children's Hospital, the child neurologist and leading seizure specialist on the east coast to our provider Anthem).

The hard part of it is trying to put him down into the tub with the near body temperature water so we don't kick off a seizure. We have been requesting a bath chair that can be lowered into the tub mechanically so we can avoid chilling Andrew and the physical strain on me. I am 200 pounds and 6ft 2inches but I can barely lower Andrews 81 pounds into the tub anymore and then back out. I am developing back problems from it. They continuously deny our requests for any medical equipment for Andrew. We end up having to plead to other agencies or pay for it out of our own pocket. The latest denial from Anthem states that Andrew "should not be immersed in a bath if they could have a seizure and as this would be a safety issue to take a bath at all".

We just won't clean Andrew. We also were denied a feeding chair for Andrew. A specific chair called a Tumble form is needed for Andrew to eat in. It provides the correct seating to avoid aspiration or the inhaling of his food. They denied it saying that his wheelchair (that they also denied paying for recently) could be positioned correctly for his feeding. After getting a cookie swallow test done, we proved (by a certified specialist and MD) that the wheelchair positioning put the food straight into his windpipe. They were provided pictures of this and offered the xray/video that showed it as well as received a written statement from the specialist. They still denied it.

The letter states that the bath chair that we are attempting to get paid for by our insurance company is more than is needed. I thought that since 1 of the reviewers is a physical therapist, 1 is a health plan medical director and the other is a grievance and appeal rep that between all of these knowledge perhaps, they could direct us to the type of bath chair that they say would meet our needs to lower and raise Andrew from the bathtub since they say the bath chair we selected through one of their preferred providers is not acceptable.

Last but not least - our 18 year old son had to have his molars removed and I called for a pre-notification from Anthem for the anesthesia. They said it was covered and gave me a prenote number. We showed up to the oral surgeon's office and they said that Anthem denied coverage. The doctor estimated what my delta dental would pay and I paid the $176 difference out of my pocket.

When I got home, I called and got the same person that had given me the prenote, Robert, and he said now that this was not covered. I asked for a supervisor. He said they would call within 24 hours. 8 days later, a supervisor called and said they could not find the voice conversation I had with Robert (they tape all conversations when prenoting) and they would pay for my $176. I asked how to submit, they said they would send a claim form to me. I waited 2 weeks and called back and had them fax it to me. I filled it out and sent it back showing on the bill from the oral surgeons office where I paid the $176. I called 3 weeks later and they said that they needed the tax ID from the Anesthesia provider (even though the provider is an Anthem preferred provider). I sent that to them at the address in California that they directed me to and waited 3 more weeks. I called back and now they say I should have sent it to the local Blue Cross office here in PA.

I gave up. I don't have the time keep chasing this $176. We have been denied a wheelchair, a feeding seat, a bath chair and nursing care. We do not have a lift in the house or a special van or vehicle for transporting Andrew. Our Insurance policy has provided no "needed durable equipment" as described in our policy yet my employer and myself keep paying for it. If we had a normal child these items wouldn't be needed but we don't.

They are "requiring" mail order for certain medications with another screwed up company which is now changing names. When I tried to register on their online website, it kept telling me I have to re-register, and when you do, it tells you you've already registered. This goes around and around and you can never register! If I don't get the prescriptions on time, my life is jeopardized. They keep stalling with these outside referrals.

I have had Anthem Blue Cross Individual PPO for many years. Last year, I received 3 taped calls from Blue Cross recommending that I get a colonoscopy. I finally decided to have a colonoscopy and endoscopy (I have relatives who have had stomach cancer) done at the same time at UCLA. This is for preventative care and I was shocked to receive the bill for $2,400 after Blue Cross paid about $150 of the bill.

I cannot believe that we need to pay this much for a check up. When I called Blue Cross, I was told that this is considered outpatient surgery. I think this needs to be categorized under preventative care.

I tried to re-order prescriptions and discovered that Anthem was putting up a new web so I had to re-register. When I tried, it wouldn't recognize the new info. I got online with Tech Support who also had problems but eventually got it to work, but could not get to prescription service, apparently recently outsourced to Express Scripts. Tech Support said they couldn't help because another site (also confided they were very busy with complaints re: new web site, the one that had a major security breach). When I called the number he gave me, I got a recording saying they closed at 2:00 pm PST and to call back when they were staffed. (Amazon, Zappo's and Apple can provide 24-hour Customer Care but Anthem can't! ) I tried to call the Anthem Tech Support number again but the phone just rang. I assume this means that there weren't enough lines open. (I know a little about customer service and technology, did they not increase staffing for the new web site cut-over? )

I'd like to know what Anthem and their partners' service levels are regarding response time, hours of service, missed calls, etc. It seems dumb (or greedy) that customer service for a pair of shoes would be better than for health insurance.

Our Anthem Insurance expired on 6/30/10. We went through the month of July without insurance and decided to go through my husband's work and obtain insurance effective August 1st. The forms asked, "When was your last date of insurance?" We put 6/30/10. The effective date was 8/1/10. The underwriters put us down for the month of July and want us to back pay for the entire month of July. Note that during the month of July we did not use the insurance, nor did we submit any claims whatsoever. We explained that we did not want insurance for the month of July and we didn't use it. They said, "Too bad, you still have to pay for it." What a joke. This is a rip-off from a multibillion dollar company.

At the end of May 2010, my Cobra coverage expired with Anthem Blue Cross, received a letter from them stating this. Went on line to Anthem, made contact with sales rep Tracy **. Completed and submitted an application for myself and spouse. After 3 weeks passed, heard nothing from the sales rep, so made a call. She states nothing is happening because one of my doctors did not respond back with required health information they requested. I complained to her about never getting phone call of this issue. Now armed with this info, called my Dr and the health info they needed was sent to the underwriter.

Now it is end of June, still have no coverage and I have a chronic disease so can't see a doctor. A few more weeks go by, and still nothing, than discover wife's doctor had failed to transmit required health info causing further delay. Went back and forth for 2 weeks with Dr's office and underwriter to get the required information back to underwriter, and couple more weeks go by and now at end of July, still no coverage. So now that I am past the 60 day mark, if I decide to go to another health insurance carrier, I will not be covered for any pre-existing conditions for 12 months.

So now, for the last 2 weeks the sale rep is still telling me they are getting this done, but still my account has not been debited for the amount agreed, still have no insurance cards or coverage, and now it is August 18th. I seem to have no recourse. I have Chroine's disease, and Chron's RA which at time is very debilitating, especially without my medications, one of which is $400 per month out of pocket, so I have to go without it. This is just ludicrous! And the worst part is not having any recourse except to complain, which does little to resolve anything! I grow to hate this country and all capitalist pig insurance companies.

I went online and filled out a brief application which didn't ask for much information and I received a quote. There was never ever a screen asking for my banking information. Anthem Blue Cross electronically debited my checking account without my authorization! When I called to dispute, I was told that I entered my information at the time of filling out the online application. Not true! Why would I do that when I am not for certain if this is the company in which I would choose for healthcare! Consumers beware!

My husband and I have a health insurance policy through Anthem. We pay roughly $1900.00/mo for a family of 5. We own our own business, so this is directly out of our pocket. I had taken my son in Jan.'10, to the doctor's for an ear infection. He was seen and treated by our pediatrician. A couple of weeks later, I get a phone call for the office gal at our Doctor's office saying Anthem has denied our claim and that we are no longer with our medical group and that we no longer have our current pediatrician. I was dumbfounded. I had called Anthem to find out what was going on. They said, that my medical group is still with Anthem. They had not renewed their contract with Anthem, but within the last few days, they had. So they will pay our claims. I thought I was done with this. In the meantime, my oldest son get's pink eye and so do I. We go to the Doctor's get treated.

Same thing happens a week later. They are denying my claims. I called them to see what was going on. They said that Hills Medical Group did not renew my policy with Anthem. I called Hills and they said the exact opposite. In fact, they sent me new medical cards within a week, with my policy on there, and that in fact, they did renew with my policy. That was around the second week of Feb. A week later, Barb from my Doctor's office called after I had told her what Hill's said, and informed me that Anthem has once again denied the claim.

I called Hill's and spoke with Gina. Gina informed me that my policy was renewed with Anthem. I told her that I had a doctor visit on Feb. 26th, for my twin's kindergarten physical and that they needed the rest of their immunization shots. Will I be covered? She said, "Yes". She said she was going to put the renewal of my policy retroactive from the first of Jan. and she was going to put a rush on it. She called me the very next morning and told me that I was good to go and to go ahead with my current doctor's visit. I went! I received a phone message from her on my cell phone the next day, saying that Anthem did not renew my current policy and the appointment would not be covered. A day too late. I was furious.

I called Anthem and spoke with a Supervisor named Jasmine. She told me she would cover my medical claims up until the end of Feb. and that would be it and that I would have to go find new doctor. I agreed to that. I had the doctor's office fax over the claims put to her attention, per our conversation on Feb. 26. I got a phone call from the pediatrician's office this week (Mar. 18) saying that they had denied our claims.

I am at a loss right now. Anthem has royally screwed us. They assigned three different doctor's for my family, without our knowledge. They never informed us of this change or did they send us any information regarding the rate hike we would be having. If we wanted to upgrade our policy,so that we would have the same doctor, we would have to pay $300 more a month and that didn't include the rate hike that would be happening in the next months.

So on Sat. 13th of March, my husband threw out his back in our yard and needed to see a doctor. He went to the urgent care, because we are without a doctor and they turned us away. They said, "Sorry, we are not accepting this insurance." Your policy doesn't accept Urgent care visits. I had looked up the medical group that they had assigned us, and none of the doctor were accepting new patients. This is criminal. I started to cry. We have been paying Anthem $1900.00/month for health insurance and we have no doctor or urgent care to go to. Why? I would like to take this up with an attorney please! Someone call me!

We have been paying Anthem our premiums on time every month, since January. Now our pediatrician's office is calling us for payment of the visit's. My kid's kindergarten physical alone was nearly $500 and that is times two, because I have twins. I have paid the doctor's office my co-pay. My husband was in so much pain from his back problem that he had to miss work for three days. I cannot pay this extra money for the doctor's visits when I was told that Anthem would pay. (per Jasmine on 2/26). I cannot sleep because we are currently without insurance. We cancelled our payment to Anthem set for Mar. 19th and are currently in the process of getting a new policy with a different company. I have faith that we will be insured, but I feel we have paid Anthem all this money for the past three months and I feel that they owe it back to us, since we have to pay for our visit's now. This has put a huge strain and not needed stress on my family. I am so mad, I don't know where to turn other than the Insurance Commissioner and this website.

I just received a notice from my Anthem Blue Cross of California that my rate had been increased $300. Additionally, I just picked up a non-generic prescription and noted that my co-pay had also increased. Non-generic medications are no longer affordable to me yet some of the medications I take do not come in a generic form. Other medications, such as Synthriod, should not be substituted for a generic brand. At some point in my life I was a consumer and figured that Blue Cross was working for me since I have been paying my own policies for the past 25 years or so. Were they padding the CEO's pockets in the past? Probably.

It's now become a "sick joke". I can't afford medication. I fear that I will be dropped if I develop a "pre-existing" illness. Do I need a written advanced directive stating kill me now because I don't have enough money to live (literally)? I am not sure what to do. I am a Medicare provider and my fees have been cut by 21 percent. Yet my insurance premiums have gone up not to mention interest on credit cards. I do watch the news and this all makes sense until I started getting screwed. What is going on? I cannot afford my medications any longer.

We are self-employed, we have a small business. We are a family of three and have Anthem Blue Cross. Our premium was $1454 a month before they tried to raise it by 38%. We tried to switch to another plan but were denied due to shoulder surgery I had last June. It was suggested that we switch to a lesser plan that does not require being underwritten.

We were accepted as of March 1, but now I learned today that the price I was quoted of $903 two weeks ago has already changed because I turned 55 on Saturday, so it is now $1079. If Anthem gets their way, they will raise this plan by 38% and we will be paying more than our original plan had cost, a whopping $1489 monthly, receiving much inferior coverage. This is a greedy and unacceptable maneuver by Anthem. Too many people like us are being squeezed and there's very little alternative. We are not taking care of our people and this is a most dangerous thing.

I support single payer, public option and respect other countries for figuring out how to provide health care to their citizens. Who cares what it's called, socialism, communism, democracy? Isn't it a smart thing to take a look around us and see what works for others? Is it that hard to promote something that will enhance our lives? This is truly a crime and before we totally fall from grace. Let's make an effort to stop the greed of our corporations and care for our people.

So many people have complained about Anthem on this site, but what are we doing to stop them and other companies from walking all over us? Republicans are in full agreement with greedy rate hikes and no regulation. They instill fear in people who don't quite grasp what's really going on and the democrats are too weak-kneed to stand up and explain it clearly to us what it all means and they don't have the cazongas to speak up for public option, single payer health care. The lot of them are so dependent with lobbyists. The chance of serious reform probably won't happen anyway. What are we to do?

Anthem Blue Cross cancelled my policy without explanation and without notice. Again, I received the refund and cancellation on 2/26, which is only 2 days notice before the cancellation became effective. How can this be legal? I am extremely stressed about not having insurance by Monday, May 1. I now have to take time off of work to immediately find new coverage. This is unfair practice on Anthem Blue Cross' behalf, that is causing undue depression and anxiety.

I signed up for insurance as soon as I was eligible. I pay $60 a week post tax (about 1/4th of my pay). Every statement I get has nonsensical pie charts with 3-5 different colors that tell me what they are paying for; each color is labeled Data 1, Data 2, etc. Nowhere on the statement does it say what the data numbers equal. Is green medical? Is yellow pharmacy? Who knows? When I called, I was put on hold and blind transferred to another random department where I explained again what I need to know, and again I was put on hold and transferred. This goes on as long as I can stay on the line. So, as far as I can guess, I have to pay my premiums and an additional $3,000 (about $6,000 a year), for my 4 doctor visits a year to refill a prescription that costs $12 a month.

Anthem would not cover my wisdom tooth extraction because I already had teeth when I enrolled. The representative who sold me the insurance also misinformed me that the money spent on the choice care card counted as out of pocket expenses.

My Anthem health insurance rates are going up $100/month again, same as last year. Of course, it's due to the "rising costs of health care." That's all they have to say. My rates have more than doubled in three years even as I've lowered my coverage to try and save money. Yes, I have a condition, which does not allow me to get coverage with anyone else. So Anthem has decided to either squeeze every dollar out of me. They can and/or push me out the door. I'm 43 yrs old. My rate is $500/month for catastrophic, high deductible coverage. What is it going to be when I'm 50 or 60 years old?

I am submitting this complaint on the behalf of our client. Blue Cross has not updated her information and we have faxed all the forms that they requested several times. They are denying her claims and as a result the client is going into collections. I have contacted Blue Cross many times and they put me on hold and then disconnect me.

The client is elderly and was illegally sold a policy by a Blue Cross representative who mislead the client into believing he was from her current policy. This client has been getting the run around from Blue Cross since 2009.

I just received a notice from Anthem Blue Cross CA announcing they will raise monthly rates for my PPO plan (Smart Sense 1500) by over 31% on March 1st, in my case from $208/month to $273/month. My situation has not changed, no new age bracket, no claim, no litigation, nothing, just a "reward" from being a good customer, I guess. The irony is that the letter starts with (and I quote) "Controlling health care costs is important to you, and you can rely on the stability and experience of Anthem Blue Cross to secure the best prices..." (full document available on request). What a joke!

My question is, if Anthem Blue Cross is so expert and stable, why do they "need to increase prices" by 31%? Wouldn't it instead be the result of gross mismanagement (or sheer greed) by Anthem since it's unlikely people got 31% sicker? Here goes their reputation of "expertise" and "stability".

Secondly and most importantly, this appears to be "price gouging" of the worst kind and I suspect Anthem, taking advantage of a situation of quasi-monopoly, is positioning themselves in advance of a Health Care Reform that would not allow them to treat their customers as captive "cash cows" any longer.

I'm not a lawyer, but I'm sure price-gouging laws must exist to prevent that kind of abuse. As much as I understand companies need to remain profitable, there is no way Anthem Blue Cross operating costs went up 31% in a year, unless of course, they lost customers left and right from bad service and/or predatory pricing policy.

Please look into this. I personally can afford the rate hike but I know many people who do not and who could decide to drop medical coverage, potentially endangering their health and that of their families and/or putting themselves in dire financial jeopardy should they get injured or sick. Not to mention the added burden on the state or federal government which will, one way or the other, have to pick up the medical tab for additional uninsured or under-insured people. Thank you.

I am an RN @ Wellpoints Blue Cross. My 17 y o daughter, Becky, has been treated for acne since 2008. She has failed liquids, gels, lotions & antibiotics. Recently it became inflammatory and ugly so I took her to a dermatologist on 12/7/09. This is her senior year!! Dr. Doyle, pediatrics, Dr. Salm, Derm. have worked very hard so Becky could get treatment.

I work very hard for this company for 2.5 years am laid off 12/31. I will have insurance until 2/23/10 but there is no excuse for this type of delay. I do medical review and Rebecca has met every criteria for this treatment. A copy of this letter is being distributed on complaints.com so 10,000 people can see how Blue Cross treats their own nurses. I am also sending a copy to the FTC for any violations thereof.

The Anthem Blue Cross 2500 PPO Life health insurance policy is being sold deceptively. The overview information that is used to lure in customers states "Office visits are not covered UNTIL...." which infers that office visits would at least be applied to the deductible. In fact, they are not. The plan offers an annual mammogram and Pap, yet does not cover any office visit of any kind, UNTIL you have spent $2500 in what they do cover: emergency only. That should be spelled out in PLAIN ENGLISH.

Insurance companies should be forced to describe exactly what it is that they are offering and what it does not include, on every piece of material that it uses to market to consumers. This plan is bogus and a joke. It should be called an EMERGENCY ONLY plan, because that is what it is. I will be writing extensively on this, complaining to Anthem, the BBB, my congressman and the media. If we are ever going to have effective health reform, it has to start with honesty. Anthem should be made to cover office visits under this policy, as it deceptively infers it will.

I recently took my mother, who has Anthem Health Insurance, to the hospital for a test that a vascular doctor explained was basically checking her blood pressure in her legs. He explained that it was a non invasive procedure that was no big deal.

When we were in admitting, the attendant told us that the procedure cost over $300 and that her insurance would not cover any of the cost.

Why do "insurance companies" take your money when you pay your premiums then refuse to pay for medically necessary exams. Once again it goes to show that health care in this nation is only concerned with the almighty dollar. Needless to say, we refused the test and are filing a complaint with the "insurance company" as well as the local and state health agencies.

My grandson was critically injured in an auto accident. As a result, he is severely handicapped. He suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury). He was left in a vegetative comatose condition. The problem is that the insurance industry, although he is covered by Anthem Blue Cross of North Carolina by his mother's insurance, his policy states the many items he has been denied multiple times. The laundry list of Deniels are: denied electronic hospital bed. Reason: "care giver convenience." He is 19 and he is 6'3". He has a trach and is fed through a G-tube. He has seizures and blood clots and must be turned every 2 hours. He is also incontinent. Air mattress was denied. Reason: no ulcers. He now has ulcers and was sent an air mattress that is worn and torn and is 12" too short for the bed. Once again he is 6'3" and his bed is 84" long. It's a donated electric bed (12 years old and donated from a nursing home). Wheel chair was denied. Reason: doesn't need shower. Wheel chair was denied. Reason: not medically necessary.

I'd like to see these same people never have a shower and see how medically necessary they think it is to their well being. Blood pressure machine was denied. Reason: not medically necessary. Why are these insurance companies allowed to violate the policy that people pay for? The rules change every time there is a request for home DME. Every Deniel gets a different answer and requires another letter of medical necessity from the doctors. This is an on-going trend with insurance companies. The American public hears so much about the uninsured. They better pray to God they never really need their insurance because they will be in a big surprise: the insured can't get what they need either.

Imagine now, if you will, my despair at learning Anthem has denied our request for testing as not medically necessary. The reason given was lack of information on my son's case. This is more than a little puzzling to me, as the nurse who works with my son's neurologist stated she had faxed all requested documentation more than THREE times to them. Conveniently Anthem has either misplaced or lost this documentation, which would be my guess.

My son, Matthew, fits the criteria for this form of CMT. We were seeking confirmation through blood work that can detect this mutation. Matthew was born post term; at birth his diagnosis was macroephaly, a very large head but not hydrocephalic. When Matthew was a year old we were told after one of many scans that he had mild cerebral palsy. He had missed his milestones. He couldn't sit up or crawl like other babies. We were unsure if he would even walk, but after intensive physical therapy started at age six months, he walked at age two. Matthew used a small walker to start with and that was later discontinued.

Shortly after Matthew gave up his walker, he would wake up unable to stand, walk or even feel his legs. These episodes happened periodically and lasted for hours at a time. Eventually sensation and ability to stand would return. Matthew's neurologist was as puzzled as we were, and at the time she referred to it a periodic paralysis. Repeated testing indicates Matthew has peripheral poly neuropathy; all his extremities are affected. He has nerve damage in his eyes and suffers from carpal tunnel in both hands. Recent studies in Germany were brought to our attention by his neurologist. Matthew fits the criteria and has many of the symptoms of CMT.

A typical morning for Matthew starts like this: First I scoop his legs up over the side of his bed, and then with my hands under his neck, I help him stand. We stand there a few minutes until he feels steady enough to walk to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, I run a tub of hot water. He says the hot water helps his hands, feet and legs to wake up. This has been our morning ritual for the last nine years.

Matthew has foot drop, his foot or feet can drop and catch causing unexpected falls. The numbness or as he puts it sleepy legs used to go up knee high; it now extends to his groin. Matthew has trouble with temperature extremes as a result of neuropathy. When it is cold, you and I would be uncomfortable. Matthew is miserable. No amounts of layered clothing seem to help. Gloves come out of storage in October as his hands are like ice. Summertime is also a challenge as Matthew overheats easily.

God blessed me with this special needs child. I just wish I knew why the insurance industry makes it so hard for me to care for him. I wish they could understand the medical need for confirmation of his neurologist diagnosis, which she has based on all of his symptoms. This test cost $800-$900, which I cannot afford out of pocket, or will have to borrow. I just want to give my son the best possible care, and the insurance company is denying me the right to do so.

A friend of mine is scheduled to have his kidney removed on May 12, at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. His surgeon wants to freeze the small, slowly-growing tumor and save the kidney, but the decision-makers at Anthem Insurance, which, in addition to Medicare, provides Bill's medical coverage, refuse to pay for that procedure, which classifies as an out-patient treatment and costs $10,000. However, they will pay for the complete removal of his kidney, which costs them $20,000.

So, despite his surgeon's many pleas to Anthem to finance the freezing procedure, Bill finds himself being left with no choice. He is also essentially broke ... has no savings ... pushes carts for Wal-Mart on the third shift ... and will be off work for several months. He has no one to go to bat for him, and all I can do is send an email to an important organization like yours and ask, Is there no one out there who can make a corporate bully like Anthem change its mind?

my monthly rate will be going up 50 % called customer service they said everyone across the board is getting a large rate increace.the rate was due to the escalating cost of health care.but a 50% jump same very large.how can there be no recourse for the customer,beside droping health coverage

I am a resident physician. I was hospitalized emergently for medical care at a Veteran's administration hospital that I work at. I am a non-veteran and the emergency occurred after work hours. I sought care at the VA hospital because I was an employee there and it was the closest hospital to where I was at when the emergency occurred (a heart arrythmia). The hospital erroneously billed Blue Cross which apparently they are not allowed to do because I am not a veteran. Instead I was told that Blue Cross is supposed to reimburse me and then I am to pay the hospital bill.

I have now been engaged in a claim with Blue Cross for many months in an effort to recuperate the money from the bill. I have placed no less than 20 phone calls and 20-30 emails to Blue Cross totalling hours of my time. I was told by them in January that my claim was approved and then checks would be issued. Although I have received a small percentage (i.e. 10%) of the total reimbursement, I have yet to receive the majority of the payment from them. Each time I have called them over the past 2 months I have been told it is in process.

I went into collections status with the VA hospital as a result of non-payment by Blue Cross. My federal tax refund was garnished last year because of the unpaid reimbursement and I received penalty fees. I have wasted countless hours on the phone and via email with Blue Cross.

I'm on hold trying to get through to Blue Cross, so I have lots of time to rant about their horrible service. They charged me $2.00 to send me a bill. The bill said to call a number to sign up for automatic pay. Then the message on the phone said it would cost me $15. I pay outrageous insurance premiums and they charge me extra for everything they do. What a RIP OFF! Can't any regulatory group get off the lobbyist teat long enough to control this monster!

I am a retired 62 year old divorced woman. I have Blue Cross PPO 3500 individual plan which was costing me $324 a month. I was informed that started March 1st that plan will go up $100...to $424 a month! Asked why...because of my zip code!! Others I know who have plans with Blue Cross in other zip codes have had less than a $10 increase. I am floored! My health broker said it was not me personally, just the zip code and that was why I was being penalized. I think $100 a month increase is ridiculous and seems illegal.

My health is basically okay, but I have one expensive medication around $300 a month that I need to take for a few years. I recently was able to get my social security and looked forward to some extra money to pay bills. Now with this $100 a month increase in my health insurance I can't afford to keep it. They barely pay anything on my medication because I have a $500 deductible for RX's. Being retired and on my own I am having a hard time making ends meet. I guess I'll have to drop my insurance because I see no choice and no relief. I have 3 more years to reach age 65 but that doesn't help me now. Can you let me know what Blue Cross is doing to certain zip codes is legal? It sounds like discrimination. With high unemployment this is just outrageous to do. My son moved back with me because he can't find a job so can't contribute to my needs financially. Can you find an answer? Can Blue Cross do this to only certain people? Thank you.

WellPoint Pharmacy sent me only 73 days worth of a prescription and charged me the copay for a 90 day supply. The prescription is for Kariva, normally taken for contraception, however I take it for premenstrual/psychiatric reasons: I take the active pills continuously. My prescription as written by my doctor included a special note that I take the pills continuously. I made at least 6 telephone calls when the prescription was filled incorrectly 75 days ago. I was told they had all the information they needed, yet I never received the fourth pill pack. I ordered a prescription refill yesterday and apparently it is being filled incorrectly also per the pharmacist at Precision RX.

In 2006, I filed a claim for testing on my son. He has a medical diagnosis and reason for the claim. It took over 18 months before Blue Cross paid the claim. In that time they tried everything they could think of, with no shame. They never received the claim, they received it but it was missing information, it was deleted by the system (time and time again), it was not a medical condition....it was mind boggling how many excuses they came up with. And not once did they call me to let me know the status, so I had to call and spend days of my time talking to yet another new associate, and find out where my claim was, and why it was rejected again.

Their incompetence truly works in their favor. Unfortunately, I have just had to resubmit a claim for the same test, repeated recently. I sent a cover letter with all pertinent info., and reminded them that they had paid for this in the past. So far it's been a month, and I've made four calls to check on the status, and had four different reasons for it to be denied to far. A new person, each time. Some info. I gave to them during one of my calls was typed in wrong, resulting in it being denied. This whole process kills me. Truly if the bill were small enough, I would pay it and just be mad.

A year and a half waiting for the claim to be reimbursed. Many hours on hold, and talking with different representatives. Even if you get their names, you can't seem to reach the same one twice. Despite our doctors recommendations, I can not bring myself to have my son retested this year, I was still battling with BlueCross, and we could not afford another unpaid claim. And I hate the thought of dealing with these folks again.

My nephew has Neurofibromatosis. Last Dec. he started having severe pain in his legs. My sister took him to be xrayed and doctors found fibroid tumors in his legs. He was put on pain meds. Did not stop the pain. Doctors wanted to put him on Lyrica. BC would not approve this medicine. Doctor sent an appeal letter two or three times to BC. Still nothing. Dept. of Insurance was notified. Still nothing.

My sister even contacted Anthem from the law firm where she works asking them to please allow her son to have this medicine. Nothing......Well, now my nephew was scheduled for a Pet Scan for this morning because the doctors want to rule out any malignancy because the pain meds aren't stopping his pain. He is taking oxycontin and amitrytiline(?)..they have even upped the dosage of oxy. to 15mg. twice a day.His doctor scheduled him for the Pet Scan. When they got to the hospital this morning @ 6:30, they found out BC had denied the test. It is bad enough to have the worry of your child being sick like this but to contend with an insurance company being so heartless is beyond words. My sister never did hear from the appeals to BC in regard to the Lyrica.

Consequences being..a young man weighing 93 lbs. having to endure severe pain just walking when changing pain meds might have helped him. I just hope everyone affiliated with this insurance company in the future when confronted with a loved one with a health problem remembers Aaron and his mother and how they refused to help when they could have so easily.

My Doctor prescribed me Nexium (acid reflux) about two weeks ago and the insurance company is refusing to fill it. I've made numerous phone calls to the insurance company, and they state that it's still under review. They told me that they needed additional information from my Doctor's office before they would approve it. My Doctor has sent them the additional information that they requested on10-19-07 and as of today (10-26-07) they still state that it is under review.

I have made about 10 phone calls asking what the status is, and their answer is always It's still being reviewed This is the only medicine that helps with my acid reflux. My Doctor gave me samples, and it worked great.

I've been in extreme pain with the acid reflux and I'm having trouble sleeping at night because of it.

I acquired insurance through Anthem in 12/06. I had many claims which they did not cover, saying they were pre existing. I was told by a doctor that I should have knee surgery, which they said would not be covered for a year. The doctors office said according to their literature it should be covered.

Then after approximately 6 months, they dropped me because I had moved. When I signed on with Anthem, a huge reason I went with them was because I was told they would cover me wherever I lived.
Now if I CAN get insurance, I will likely have waiting periods all over again.

I had to pay for multiple bills out of pocket, including a recent injury which requires PT. My knee is still painful.

For several years my husband and I have had health insurance with Anthem. In January 2006 our insurance agent arranged to have my husband removed from our health insurance as he was switching to Medicare. I paid my premium in January as usual in the beginning of the month.

In February I didnt receive a premium statement. Upon calling my agent I was told I would be receiving it shortly. In March I did not receive a statement and once again called my insurance agent. I was told that Anthem would be sending statements out shortly. In April, I didnt receive a statement and called my agent once again.

Within a few days I was told that Anthem said I was being dropped because of nonpayment. I was told, I could reapply which I did. I completed my application and sent it with a check for $287.90. The end of May I received a letter from Anthem telling me that my application was denied. I spoke with my insurance agent and asked him what they do with the check and was told they destroy it.

On June 13th check #3053 in the amount of $287.90 was paid. I called my insurance agent. Anthem said they didnt deposit the check and wanted proof. I sent a letter from my bank with a transaction history statement. Then Anthem said this was not proof enough because the check was processed electronically and I needed a legal document from the bank proving that the check had been cashed. I spoke with a representative from my bank who attempted to get such a document and was told they have no access to this. In the meantime I would like my money back and theyre not giving it to me.

i have had what i have been told was the best health insurance to be had. i have been paying $2800 per mo. for myself, my husband, my son on a group policy for years with anthem. now, my son has a chronic pain condition with herniated and degenerative discs in his back.

After much anguish and taking him to about 7 doctors, i finally found accucare interventinal pain center in milltown new jersey who think they can helf fix the pain problem. after sceduling consultation, paying for mri out of my own pocket and ready for the procedure this next week, anthem tells me they will not cover part of the procedures.

Could you please help me understand why i cannot now depend on the insurance co. i believed to be the best, after paying such high premimums for all these years, i cannot get the help for my son that he deserves so much now from this insurance co who promised, represented themselves as the best?

if my son does not have the procedure for his back he must live in total agonizing pain from now on.

I have been trying to submit a medical claim to Anthem for the past 5 weeks. During one phone conversation the represetative stated I should mail the claim form to Empire Blue Cross & Blue Shield at P.O. Box 3877, Church Street Station, NY NY 10008. The claim form came back stating we had the wrong insurance carrier.

We again called Anthem and they stated that we should send the form to Empire Blue Cross & Blue shield P.O. Box 5011, Middletown, New York 10940. They now state they have no record that the form was submitted. We are unsure at this time what adress is correct nor how to get reimbursed for $3400 in Medical bills. The representatives we spoke to refused to allow me to talk to a supervisor.

Besides the fact that I am paying approximately four time more for health insurance than last year (2004,) Anthem staff are poorly trained and unresponsive. The doctor required me to pay the bill ($3400) in advance because they will not deal with Anthem. This not the way I expect a Health Insurance Company to work.

IN Novemeber of 2003 Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield changed pharmacies for my daughters medication. When they changed pharmacies they picked Anthem specialty pharmacies for my daughters medicine. It is a very expensive drug and I guess they were trying to save themselves some money. To date the new pharmacies has not gotten a order right. The medicine bottles are broken when they arrive and they were 5 weeks late getting the meds to my house the first time.

This medicine is a life or death thing for my daughter.

I talked to servral different people when I called to get the meds and finally have gotten the same person who I can talk to each time. I however still cannot get them to do their job. Each time it is a chore to get the meds and each time there are broken vials. Each time I call they apologize and try to make things right however their excuse is they have no experience in this medication and are trying their best to fill the perscrition.

They sent me a sharps container for used needles and I have no way to dispose of it. They just keep telling me they have no idea what to do with it. This is very frustrating and Anthem blue cross is of no help.

THe last time I talked to some one there they said sorry but it is cheaper for them the insurance company to use this pharmacy. It may be cheaper for them but it is my daughters life. And to me that is not right.