Anthem Reviews
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I have the Anthem Gold Priority Select HMO health plan in Los Angeles. It took a couple months just to get assigned a PCP who had available appointments. Most of the PCPs listed on their site couldn't see new patients until 4-5 MONTHS OUT even though they were listed as "accepting new patients." I had to change my PCP a couple of times just to get one who could actually see me in under 2 months.
Once I accessed a PCP, I was referred to an endocrinology specialist to manage my thyroid disease. Turns out, the earliest possible appointment I can get is 5 months out, and all the other endocrinologists available within my network are also booked out 5-6 MONTHS OUT. What am I supposed to do? To me, this health plan is a pure scam. Most of the doctors listed in their database as "accepting new patients" actually aren't. The providers they have are not available to give care, leading to severely delayed care. 5 months wait to see a doctor is ridiculous, not to mention dangerous. It has left me feeling frustrated, desperate to see a doctor, and still, I am not able to see a doctor.
It is one of my greatest regrets, choosing this insurance plan. If you have any options at all, do not go with Anthem, take it from my experience. You will not be properly cared for - you will be met with months of delays, wasted hours on the phone trying to advocate for yourself. I've had basic plans from Kaiser and UHC (HMO) and they were a world apart better. DO NOT GO WITH ANTHEM.
I signed up on the Healthcare Marketplace for Anthem and paid for the first premium in advance. Anthem cancelled my selected insurance in January and rolled me over to another plan. I made multiple calls trying to get them to fix the problem and every time they would tell me it was fixed but it was never fixed. I've spent hours on the phone with them. After multiple email messages, they finally fixed the problem but now tell me my account is past due (which it isn't and I showed dates that the monthly premiums posted). When I send more messages to get them to fix the problem, they didn't even look into it, but just send a generic message reply. I've never received worse customer service from a company and will be switching insurers next year. I've never dealt with more inept customer service agents.
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HEADS UP!!! Just found out that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield DOES NOT COVER the states of CALIFORNIA, NEVADA or COLORADO. You will have to go to another insurance company if you live in those states.
If you are considering Anthem Healthkeepers for yourself or an older relative, run away. They would rather let you suffer, put you at risk of harm and potential death than to authorize the spending necessary to provide you with the care you need. A person close to me who is just shy of her 85th birthday has been denied transfer to a skilled nursing facility for physical and occupational therapy rehabilitation in spite of the fact that she is unable to use one arm, cannot walk unaided, cannot bathe, dress herself, change her own incontinence products or otherwise perform the most rudimentary and basic self-care tasks.
There is ample documentation from the hospital therapists that she is in need of care. She would be at such risk if she is returned home, to my house, that I have informed Anthem’s authorization department that I will not allow her to come back here because I am unwilling to accept the risk that she will become sicker or will suffer a terrible fall.
This insurer will attempt to lure you in with the promise of an OTC spending plan and money for groceries. But Band-aids and groceries won’t do you much good when you are unsafe in your home and they deny you access to the skilled care you need to get stronger and to heal. This plan is there if small, cheap, difficult to order goods are what you are looking for. But if you need actual healthcare, they’re not going to be there for you. As difficult as they are to navigate, you are better off with Medicare and Medicaid than you would be with this insurance non-provider. Run while you can!
Anthem 2023 OTC Catalog offers less than half the products their 2022 catalog had. Most If not all the products we can NOW choose from are low-quality generic knockoffs. America is being flooded with not only unvetted 3rd world people, but along with that PLAN, Anthem is now intentionally trying to force us into "Cuba" style expectations of our EARNED retirement benefits. The comparison between what was offered in 2022s colorful, array of proven and trusted USABLE products to their NEW 2023 pathetic black, white & grey GENERIC eyesore would be laughable if it wasn't so insulting to AMERICAN CITIZENS... I'm changing my Medicare plan ASAP.
Was prescribed treatment from my Nowcare physician that will end up taking ALMOST TWO weeks to get, for a bad recurring cold sore. My PcP and Nowcare physician have already approved this medicine but Anthem hasn't. I first visited Nowcare about this condition on MLK birthday, 16Jan2023. When I spoke with their pharmacist over the phone, they apologized for the delay and told me what I needed to do to expedite my medicine but by the time I get it in my possession it won't be until next week (23-27Jan) sometime.
She even offered my to file a grievance BUT: Their grievance process takes 30 DAYS, she said. I have NEVER had issues like this with any other healthcare provider. I am a retired Navy Veteran and for the most part I try to tough things out. But when it is a recurring condition that I've sought treatment for before from Anthem it makes it difficult to trust them. Right now? I don't trust Anthem.
I have had great experience with Anthem up until 2023. They now treat retired social security people like second-class citizens. They have a program where they allow you to spend $75.00 every quarter for medical supplements, such as toothpaste, ** and pain relievers. It was set up with WalMart who delivered it to your door. Very good products. Now they have some company out of Florida that have no brand name products and what they offer is useless as the day is long. I wish that I had went with United Health Care.
I have had a couple of Medical PPO Insurance Companies over the Years. Our large Aerospace Company recently switched our Healthcare Coverage over to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (was United Healthcare previously). All last Year I have had nothing but problems with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Takes forever to process claims, and they keep denying valid, complete Medical Claims in Error. This company/organization is completely incompetent. On top of this, I am paying $499. a month for this shabby service. My advice... Run as fast as you can from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Anthem BCBS HIP has cost me 5 days of work (again) due to prior authorization abuse for a medication I have been on for a decade. I'm sure they would rather I die then cost them $56 a month which is less than I contribute monthly just to have Rx coverage.
I came down with strep throat and was prescribed 5 ** tablets. They only allow 3 per month without a prior authorization?!?! THIS IS AN ANTIBIOTIC!!! This is the first medicine I have been prescribed in 2022, and it's the end of November. I have given these people thousands of dollars in premiums and they won't even give me my medicine. How do you put a 3-pill cap on a course of antibiotics???? Now the pharmacy won't sell me the 2 other pills because of it being a "duplicate prescription" and the doctor won't write another script because they already wrote one. So here I am on day 4 with no day 4 or day 5 pills and no answers and no one will help me. I am IRATE!!!
Anthem author review by Joseph Burns
Anthem is one of the better-known national insurance companies. It operates under different names, depending on what state a patient is from, but covers patients throughout the United States.
It’s easy to add other types of insurance: Anthem customers can easily add dental, vision and life insurance to their policies.
Offers benefits to people who become incapacitated by illness: Unlike many health insurance providers, Anthem offers disability benefits.
Fairly low-price plans: Consumers can get insurance for less than $100/month, although they also may have to pay high deductibles.
Plan options: Heads of families have fewer health insurance options than other consumers.
An independent journalist, Joseph Burns is the health insurance topic leader for the Association of Health Care Journalists and contributes to AHCJ’s Covering Health blog. He has also written about health policy and the business of health care for a wide variety of publications, including Healthcare Finance News, Hospitals & Health Networks, Managed Care magazine, Ophthalmology Management, TaxACT.com, and The Dark Report.
Anthem Company Information
- Company Name:
- Anthem
- Website:
- www.anthem.com
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