Our promise. We provide a buying advantage with verified reviews and unbiased editorial research.
United Health Care Reviews
ConsumerAffairs has collected 1,978 reviews and 4,345 ratings.
A link has directed you to this review. Its location on this page may change next time you visit.
- 4,313,342 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
Reviewed Sept. 29, 2023
I have UHC Medicare Advantage PPO. Everything was going along fine until l started getting claims for treatment rendered in the State of Maine (I live in California). The claims began August 1, 2023 and today is September 29, 2023. I have made a least 20 calls to UHC and spoken to 20 different people. I filed a grievance and a complaint explaining the claims were not mine. I have since filed a complaint with Medicare Advantage and Medicare directly. I have never dealt with a more incompetent company as well as a company who couldn't care less about their clientele. They are morons. I have since spoken to the hospital and all the doctors in Maine where the claims came from, and spoken directly with their billing department. I also called UHC in Hawaii. Everyone was wonderful except those in California affiliated with UHC.
We have confirmed it was an innocent mistake where the person has my name and my date of birth but nothing else in common. UHC continues to pay the bills for someone unrelated to me and someone who doesn't even have the same insurance. At this point, I don't care anymore. If they don't want to get their heads out of the butt and get on the phone and make some calls, it is no longer my problem. I can't stand dealing with idiots.
Reviewed Sept. 29, 2023
We had to switch health insurance because my husband switched jobs, unfortunately United Health Care is the only option his employer offers. This is the most we paid for an insurance, but the worst coverage we've had ever despite opting for their best plan. They deny prescriptions we've been taking for years, they deny crucial claims... Their staff is not knowledgeable, and trying to get any answers is an absolute nightmare. Beware, stay away if you can. If you're dealing with any medical conditions, they will make it worse and much harder to deal with. It's beyond my understanding how they are in business to begin with. SHAME ON YOU UNTIED HEALTHCARE.
Thanks for subscribing.
You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter! Enjoy reading our tips and recommendations.
Reviewed Sept. 27, 2023
I have had UHC through work for a little over a year now having switched companies and thus insurance. Thus far it has been, by far, the worst health insurance I have ever had, despite having one of their "better" plans. A few major highlights:
Denied prescriptions of existing/previously prescribed medications that I had prior to switching to UHC.
Lack of Communication: consistently get things like prior-authorization denials in my email with a link to view associated documents, however the documents are never there when I go to read them. Additionally, communication with customer service and various departments on the phone has been pretty terrible. If you are told you will get a follow up, don't hold your breath. They have never once followed up on anything they have said they would.
Out-Of-Network Claims: This is a complete nightmare. For one, they require claims to be submitted through different websites depending on the type of coverage - i.e. medical claim vs. behavioral health; unfortunately, most employers aren't aware of this if you ask for assistance, and the UHC website does not include ANY directions or indicators about this. They have said "If you try to submit a behavioral health claim through medical claims, it will not go through," however this is not true. It will let you submit and then it sits with no follow up.
I made the mistake of submitting 6 months of out-of-network claims through medical claims - and was surprised when I checked the status and it showed "approved" but no payout and I had not received any letters, emails or other communications regarding the claim. Upon calling I was told this claim was actually not processed, despite showing it was on the website, and that it needed to be re-submitted through an entirely different department and would take an additional 21 days (we are already about 30 days in at this point). They indicated in order to re-submit appropriately they would need the provider's NPI? number - so I tracked that down and provided it to them within 24 hours, and was told the claim was submitted and I would receive an update within 21 more days.
Over a month goes by with complete silence, so I call only to find out that it had not been submitted - someone on their end failed to input any data and my claim was just sitting there untouched. Additionally, I learned at this point that the NPI number was not needed from me, as all of that data was included in the ORIGINAL documentation I submitted. I was told it would be resubmitted and would take ANOTHER 21 days to which I protested and spoke to a supervisor. Supervisor advised me she would have the claim resolved by the following week and would follow up with me. Neither happened. The claim still appears unresolved, and I have had absolutely no follow up from UHC.
Co-pays are higher than other insurance companies I have had.
Medication coverage seems hit or miss.
They don't approve any sort of prior-authorizations.
If this company could get ZERO stars, they would. It is so bad, it makes me consider switching companies just so I can get competent healthcare coverage.
Reviewed Sept. 18, 2023
So here I am trying to reach someone to answer my question: 1. Waited for a call back about 20 min. Representative by a name Stryker, speaking with a heavy accent told me that this is not the right number to contact (the number was on the ID card) and ended the call. 2.Tried Stryker's number and a lady who answered got disconnected after verifying my info. 3. Called again, got a person Jammy on line and in the middle of conversation heard a crash and Jammy went silent. I did not wait more than 5 min and hanged up. 4. Next person Amanda - she could not hear me. 5. I am waiting for a call back now since "all the agents are busy". I am not kidding! This is a real experience that is happening Sep18, 2023 from 2pm till who knows what time...

Reviewed Sept. 18, 2023
When you're shopping for coverage, the Rx side will come in low, by using their mail order service. The problem is, they never have the prescriptions, so you have to go local and pay high copays. Don't believe them when they show lower cost, it's just not true. If you call customer service, you'll just make yourself angry, they never take responsibility.
Reviewed Sept. 11, 2023
I live in Austin, and overall, UHC PPO plans that I've had in the past were pretty good, but super expensive. This year I opted for a much cheaper plan, Virtual First, which is an HMO. I liked the idea of having the app Galileo be the PCP, since you can see a doctor for many issues from the comfort of your home, and those are totally legit doctors. So that part of the plan is fine. However, for anything beyond a minor PCP issue, this plan is an utter nightmare. As I've been using it, I learn that it hardly has any in-network providers in the entire Austin area!! This includes many doctors that were indicated "in-network" in the UHC website, but weren't actually in-network. As a result, every appointment becomes a lengthy, grueling process with countless hidden "out of network" surprises you're hit with at every step of the way. It's such a disastrous plan that I'm hating every moment I'm on it. Shame on UHC!!
Reviewed Sept. 9, 2023
This is the worst health insurance. you have to pay for everything! They have their preferred medicines so if you want to take a generic drug that cost less, they don't accept!!! I'm more than disappointed with them! 1 star is too much for this company!
Reviewed Sept. 9, 2023
Let me start by saying that this is LITERALLY the worst health insurance I’ve ever had. Any time I’ve had to contact customer service by phone has been an aggravating nightmare. I spoke with three different representatives trying to get an actual explanation of my insurance plan (United Healthcare CORE through my employer), and none could actually explain it to me. I had to research it on my own, and once I did, I realized what a scam their “tiered benefits” were.
Not only are you searching for in-network providers, you’re also navigating through their PREFERRED, low-cost Tier 1 options in order to “save” money. Because I value the quality of my healthcare providers over their cost, I chose an in-network, non-tier 1 primary care physician who I am comfortable with. Even though he is technically in-network, every time I see him (every three months), I pay $175 out of pocket until I reach my $2500 deductible. Once I reach my $2500 deductible, THEN I will have a co-pay of $25 per visit.
In addition to their “tiered benefits” scam, I just happened to check my recent claims for x rays my rheumatologist had ordered. Prior to having the x rays done, I navigated their provider search on UHC app, and it showed that my hospital (a well-known, large hospital in the area) was covered in-network. According to the processed claim, I owe the entire amount, $390, out of pocket because the RADIOLOGIST was “out-of-network.” I’ve NEVER in my entire life had a problem with coverage on BASIC x rays.
I’ve spent more money out of pocket on just basic healthcare in the last 10 months on this plan than I ever have in my entire adult life, and I’m at the point where, despite having a chronic health condition, I’m ready to just dump this garbage insurance altogether. At this rate, I’m spending just as much money out of pocket as I would WITHOUT the insurance, and I’d be better off NOT having the cost of the insurance taken out of my hard-earned pay. The (lack of) coverage through United Healthcare should be criminal. For how much of my income they receive for the plan itself, it is NOT worth it.
Reviewed Aug. 29, 2023
My Dr. ordered a CT scan to look for pulmonary disease, a terminal condition. All information states that early detection is the key to living the longest although it's still terminal. United Health Care denied the scan, and so denied any chance of early detection. They must own stock in funeral homes. Heart breaking for me and my family.
Cross Junction VA
Reviewed Aug. 15, 2023
In the past, UHC was a good insurance company. However, partnering with Optum Rx is dragging them down. Optum Rx has a 1 out of 5 star review average. If you have a complaint, it seems all you get now is lip service and a statement "I'll look into it". Both companies are having issues understanding English and I don't think either of them can read English. This is not about any employee race or background, it is about intelligence and caring about people.
United Health Care author review by Joseph Burns
UnitedHealthCare is the largest single health care carrier in the United States. It currently covers approximately 70 million Americans and contributes large amounts of money to medical research every year.
Lots of options: UnitedHealthCare provides a wide range of plan options for individuals, families and employers.
Offers Medicaid plans: Low-income consumers may be able to get Medicaid insurance through UnitedHealthCare.
Offers Medicare Advantage plans: Seniors may be able to get their Medicare insurance through UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plans.

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.
United Health Care Company Information
- Company Name:
- United Health Care
- Website:
- www.uhc.com
You’re signed up
We’ll start sending you the news you need delivered straight to you. We value your privacy. Unsubscribe easily.