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Anthem

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96 User Reviews

3.8

Overall Score

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LAST UPDATED: April 11th, 2024

Anthem offers private health insurance plans, Medicaid, and Medicare. Some of its plans are HSA-compatible. Anthem also provides members with excellent resources.

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Anthem is owned by BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS). Founded in 2004, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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The Good

  • Health Insurance Plans Offered
  • Member Resources
  • Unique Features
  • Customer Service

Health Insurance Plans Offered

Owned and operated by BlueCross BlueShield, Anthem offers health insurance to clients in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Limited by location, this insurer nonetheless leaves little to be desired in its health plans.

Anthem offers health insurance options that include PPO plans, HMO plans, Health Savings Account (HSA) compatible plans, and short term health plans. Anthem even offers group disability insurance.

Like many competitor insurance providers, Anthem health plans also include Medicaid and Medicare. Those seeking Medicare or Medicaid services can find options with Anthem.

For individuals, couples, and families under the age of 65 who need health insurance, Anthem has a great selection. Plans are divided into four main groups:

  • Bronze Plans
  • Silver Plans
  • Gold Plans
  • Platinum Plans

From bronze to platinum, these plans are organized by price.

For a bronze health plan, you pay a low monthly payment (premium) for the insurance plan but have higher out-of-pocket costs for your actual medical bill. Bronze plans cover about 60 percent of medical bills.

On the other end of the spectrum are platinum plans, which cost you the most amount of money for the insurance policy but the least amount of money for your medical bills. These plans cover 90 percent of health care costs, leaving patients to worry about a mere 10 percent of the bill. 

In between are silver plans, which covers 70 percent of costs, and gold plans, which cover 80 percent of costs. 

Each Anthem plan comes with a different deductible, out-of-pocket expenses, coverage-level, and cost-sharing rules. Most health insurance plans cover preventive care and emergency services. 

It's easy to see, then, that the choices at Anthem are in no short supply. Whether you're an individual, part of a family, under 65, or over 65, you can find insurance coverage from Anthem.

Member Resources

Members are treated well at Anthem. When you register to be an Anthem member, the company does not leave you to fend for yourself. On the contrary, the patient portal and company website work in tandem to answer your questions and keep you up-to-date on your health plan.

First and foremost, the company has a dedicated phone number for members, and members can count on Anthem 24/7 if they need to contact them for any reason. 

At any time of the day, members can check the status of a claim filed through Anthem. Immediate assistance like this is important to customers, and that's why Anthem has other convenient resources, such as LiveHealth Online (their live chat option should you need to speak with a doctor right away).

As a new member, you'll enjoy the Find a Doctor tool to make sure your provider is in Anthem's network. This tool also makes it easy to locate a primary care physician or specialist. 

The Find a Doctor Tool make it easy for Anthem members to locate doctors in their area and network.

Whether a new member or an experienced one, Anthem's patient portal offers explanations of your personal plan benefits, a list of your prescription drugs, and any forms you should need (such as for claims).

Anthem cares about its members health, not just their health insurance plans. Anthem offers a personal health assessment that you can take to see what kind of health you have. You can also watch video tutorials on the company website to learn more about how to navigate the patient portal or even about medical insurance, in general, as this industry can be so easily confusing. Truly, Anthem's member resources are designed to keep you healthy and informed.

Unique Features

Anthem stands out among the crowd of health insurance companies by offering several resources and additional services that make a patient's life easier, more informed, and more convenient. Before potential clients even become a member, they can get a free instant quote on the health plan they would want. 

Another unique feature for Anthem is their LiveHealth Online resource, which is a live chat tool through which you can speak with a doctor right away about a health question you have.

The company's mobile app is also a free provision, giving you more ready access to your patient portal.

It's worth mentioning here that Anthem's company website is a bonus to using this company's health insurance. A website is not the determining factor of your health plan, of course, but transparency and clarity are key to the customer service experience. Anthem delivers in both respects with the company website.

Customer Service

Anthem makes it clear just by the layout of their website that customer service is important to them. While a company website is just a first impression and not a face-to-face interaction, the website also gives you the information you may want upfront to determine whether a company's health plans are right for you.

Online you'll find detailed FAQs sections (through which you can narrow your search by your state and the health plan you have). You can easily download forms, and request an ID card.

Of course, Anthem offers the traditional communication tools as well, offering member-specific phone numbers.

Overall, Anthem does an excellent job of providing answers to questions, like the terms of their health plans, a way to find an in-network doctor, a view of the patient portal, a health insurance quote, and much more. But if questions aren't answered by the website itself, Anthem several different ways for clients to conveniently speak with a customer service representative directly and get the help they need.

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The Bad

  • Limited Customer Insight
  • Anthem Hack
  • Time in Business
  • Locations

Limited Customer Insight

While Anthem has recieved a fair number of reviews, its review count is much lower than other health insurance companies listed on Best Company. It's also concerning that most of Anthem's reviews are negative.

While Anthem is affiliated with a well-known and respected insurer, keep these reviews in mind as you consider plans from the company.

Anthem Hack

In 2015, Anthem was hacked. 78.8 million of its members were affected by the data breach. In a settlement, affected members received help with credit monitoring and identity protection and some compensation. Anthem has improved its security to keep its members' information better protected.

Time in Business

Anthem itself was founded in 2004, so it is less experienced than some health insurance carriers. Some companies have been around for well over a century, making Anthem very new and still in the process of working out kinks.

Locations

As widespread as BCBS is, Anthem plans are only available in select states. These include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. This doesn't cover even half of the US, which means Anthem might not necessarily cover your area.

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The Bottom Line

Anthem offers a good selection of health plans, which makes it easy to find a plan that meets your needs. It is also affiliated with BlueCross BlueShield. Anthem is newer as a business, especially compared to other health insurers. It is also limited in terms of location. However, if Anthem health insurance plans are available in your state, then the benefits provided are nice.

Anthem works hard to serve its many customers, offering them supplemental insurance like vision and dental and even offering discounts on wellness products.

Anthem's tools allow customers to easily manage their claims, payments, and locate an in-network provider. Anthem also offers its members with general health support through educational resources.

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User Reviews

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1.0

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96 Reviews

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5%

4 grade

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3 grade

2%

2 grade

2%

1 grade

89%

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Kevin Budka

Why have insurance if they don't cover something as simple as a health panel screening. I don't understand. The health panel was part of my physical which according to what I pay for through my employer is covered 100%. But I was told that since it was billed differently from my doctor, the screening was not a preventative care. I wish we had one health care service that covers things as simple as a physical but I guess insurance companies don't truly care about the people that serve.

1 week ago

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Jim Lynch Penfield, NY

Our company switched from Cigna to anthem 2 years ago. We were told in writing it was going to be the same coverage as Cigna. Me and my spouse had pre-existing conditions with pre-existing treatment plans. Anthem denies everything first shot, did nothing to make the switch smooth except send notices medication covered under Cigna is not covered with anthem. anthem works hard to interrupt treatments at every turn. today is the lates t ventolin resue inhaler not covered. these clowns are the worst of the worst

2 months ago

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Sharon Las Vegas, NV

I have been enrolled in HMO plans in Nevada for many years, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield has the worse customer service! Their customer service/health advisor reps are clearly incompetence, lack proper training, and there is poor management oversight. I have spent weeks and countless hours trying to resolve an issue on what documents are acceptable to add additional family members to my plan to only get bounced around from department to department with no positive results. Anthem, please review your training programs and internal processes. and do better for your customers who pay your salaries.

3 months ago

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Meg Sparwath Cumming, GA

We switched to Anthem BCBS POS Gateway. It is the worse insurance I have ever had. I have paid thousands of dollars for services that are supposedly covered. The EOB are very confusing. When I try to get clarifications, the chat option is offered was on that for about 30 min. Then I was forced off the page got some secure member automated error notice. We will be switching insurance during open enrollment. Again, terrible experience do NOT recommend

5 months ago

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Eliza D. Chino, CA

I have had many HMO plans throughout the years, some good and some not so good, but Anthem Blue Cross is the absolute worst! I have lived through an absolute nightmare this year health wise and the incompetence, bureaucratic red tape, hours upon hours of being on hold to talk to a human being only to be cut off, and the overall "left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing" from Anthem Blue Cross has been the cause. I literally have pages of typewritten notes documenting their failure to provide adequate healthcare, despite working with my husband's company, our insurance broker, multiple Anthem Blue Cross reps, and Anthem's case management. The situation became so dire that I found it necessary to ditch my insurance and pay out of pocket to see a physician who could actually help me.

5 months ago

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Hanah Rahman Redwood City, CA

They will not pay for any coverage even if you have a PPO. They also don't like preexisting conditions and will not allow you to pick provider.

1 month ago

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Michael Nielsen (MiketheVike) South Lake Tahoe, CA

I bought a high deductible individual heath care policy from Anthem through the Nevada exchange. It was extremely expensive (Over $1,000/month). I had the policy for 2 years then turned 65 and switched to Medicare. Dealing with Anthem for 2 years was a total nightmare! They systematically deny nearly every claim when first submitted. They NEVER provide an explanation (Code 01 - Service not covered) Their Customer Service department has no power to reverse decisions and cannot explain why claims are denied. They ask you to submit an appeal but since you don't know why the claim was denied you can't formulate a reason for the appeal... Totally underhanded tactics. I have a lot of medical issues so over 2 years I had to call Customer Service over 50 times. It often would take 1 or 2 appeals before they finally approved a claim and never could they explain why it was denied in the first place. Once I met the yearly deductible ($6,500) they started getting even more stingy with claim approvals. In-plan doctor visits that were approved at the beginning of the year when I was paying for them were now denied. Exactly the same doctor and same reason for visit but now no longer covered! I started getting services pre-approved to avoid this continuous run-around. Latest and greatest: they approved my kidney stone surgery but when the bills were submitted they refused to pay for the anesthesiologist. Who has kidney stone surgery without anesthesia? They are without doubt the worst insurance company I have dealt with. Very unethical.

10 months ago

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Suzanne Lewis Woodbridge, VA

I was recently diagnosed with ocular lymphoma and after having biopsies, scans, and blood series, I was given the least evasive treatment recommendation from specialists including hematologists, oncologists, Wilmer Eye Institute specialists, and surgeons. I was given the direction to use proton radiation treatment for my particular lymphoma and its tricky location. After submitting 3 appeals as well as have doctor to doctor consults, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield health insurance continues to refuse coverage for my cancer treatments. Proton Radiation has been around since 1990 so hardly new technology and it’s very targeted technique avoids lifelong side effects since only kills effected cancer cells vs everything in its path. Anthem apparently ( but who knows, may deny that too!) only considers cheaper radiation (photon) or chemo (don’t need since cancer hasn’t spread elsewhere) with greater known lifelong risks since the laser goes through the entire body destroying everything in its path so will likely cost them and me more in the end. A very short “sighted” policy! What good is it to have technology if those of us who could really benefit are refused coverage? Having cancer (also finding out a month before my daughter’s wedding who I would like to SEE walk down the isle) I am hit with the expense of paying out of pocket! I’ve been employed as a 64 year old for most of my life investing my monthly paychecks toward Anthem and this is the response I get for my investment! Shame on you Anthem BC/BS. For the benefit of others who may be faced with this situation I will continue to fight. My congressman is writing a letter & I’ve reached hundreds of people through my GoFundMe campaign as well as businesses in northern Virginia through my work and the Virginia Insurance Commissioner. L

4 years ago

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Lorilyn Harper Cincinnati, OH

Complete disaster. Can't get a PCP, can't get an appointment, can't get a call back. I'm a cancer patient and recently moved here from another state. I can't get a prescription refill. Anthem is totally irresponsive and completely irresponsible. What a shit storm.

6 months ago

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Olivia Swan Denver, CO

Worst company ever. They don't care about their customers. They will leave you on hold for hours. Our insurance doesn't even work for prescriptions. DO NOT USE. you will regret it. The people that work here are incredibly rude and insincere. Could not be more disappointed.

8 months ago

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Hello Rockford, IL

It's known at Healthcare.gov and Anthems grievance department: It's listed on Anthems site that specific doctors are in network but when you call the doctors office, the doctor does NOT provide care, is NOT in network, etc. Anthem did nothing to remedy this and it's a documented issue. Meanwhile, they take your monthly premium with no issue. Filing a grievance and/or appeal did nothing.

8 months ago

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Review Source

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Trish Inverness, FL

If I could give no stars I would. The worst health insurance plan i've ever had in my entire life. Add absolutely not the cheapest. I would be real careful out there. If you have anthem blue cross who shield, please make sure you are covered one hundred percent.. For this will happen to you. Go to the hospital because you're in pain and then realize that your spouse who's supposed to be covered., That you were paying premiums every single two weeks 43 months, Was not covered and now you responsible for,3500$. Do better blue cross blue shield anthem health florida. Your customer service sucks, Your plans are overpriced, Andrew did duct tables are ridiculous. But let's continue giving discounted rates to illegals, And free health insurance to those on welfare.

2 months ago

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Darren Martin Hampton Falls, NH

Anthem BCBS is a lower cost ( compared to other services ) low service insurance provider. We pay the highest insurance rates in the world and the customer service is awful. Most of the people you talk to have a hard time speaking English and an even hard time hearing English. The first thing they do when you actually get a human on the phone is apologize for the long wait because they know you have been waiting forever. They constantly apologize throughout the call to the point where the word does not mean anything anymore. They have the hardest time processing claims. A minimum of five calls is needed and some claims have exceeded 12 calls just to BCBS. The people you talk to have no medical claims knowledge and have to out you on hold for +- 5 minutes while they research each question. A sad state that something so expensive is so bad. They will send you a ton of paper mail with tons of pages in it wasting resources. I can get an 8 page letter with the information needed on 1 page only. Working with providers is a disaster as so one will talk to each other and the solution is always to get the other company to do something different. this process is designed to cost a ton and provide minimal substandard service. Unlike all the sites with positive results 1) I am not paid for this review and 2) I have actually used the service.

1 year ago

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Sultana Anjum Eureka, CA

Terrible company. I had Anthem for the last two months of 2021, they cancelled my policy because they said I wasn't making payments which isn't true because they were automatic. I wasn't aware my policy was cancelled Dec 2021 because I was actually being charged Jan-march of 2022 and wasn't aware it was inactive until I had a doctor's appointment. Then I called to get it reinsured and asked about the charges, they said I'm being charged for the months that my policy wasn't active so that I can activate it again WHICH MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL. If I didn't call, I would have been charged and had an inactive policy for who knows how long? On top of that, I couldn't even access cancelling these payments through their website. My account appeared to have no card on file although I was still being charged so I had to call my bank to stop payments. And on top of all this, because I'm quite the lazy person, I got it reactivated anyway and it's Ben nearly two weeks now that I paid for my insurance to be reinstated and it's STILL INACTIVE. THIS COMPANY SUCKS ON EVERY LEVEL.

1 year ago

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Andy Schlichting Denver, CO

Anthem clearly does not care about its customers' lives. I need a heart procedure and Anthem has run both my health provider and me around in circles, while denying authorization for my procedure. The letter I received claimed the procedure is not FDA approved (that is 100% false). Furthermore, after initially denying the procedure in March, my health provider tried to expedite a peer-to-peer call to get approval before the date my procedure was originally scheduled for. They were told they could not do a peer-to-peer and that they had to file an appeal. The appeal was denied this past weekend so we are trying to schedule the peer-to-peer, but are now told that because we filed an appeal, we cannot do a peer-to-peer, that we had to choose one or the other. It's beyond upsetting that I cannot get a procedure that could save my life or at least save hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills in the future simply because Anthem does not want to pay for the procedure and its representatives are all telling us different things. All I have received from Anthem is incompetence, lies, gaslighting, and unprofessionalism from the people making these decisions, to the people on the phone. Additionally, I had an accident in 2019 that required an ambulance ride, emergency surgery, and four-night stay in a hospital. The only hospital in that county was out-of-network and Anthem fought me for months to not cover any of the over $50,000 in medical bills, claiming it wasn't an emergency and I should have used an in-network provider instead. These people are heartless and do not care about their customers one bit.

1 year ago

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nejy Las Vegas, NV

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is an awful company to deal with. I work for a medical billing company and provider customer service is difficult to get ahold of and one department is unable to handle all inquiries. If you have a claims question it is one department and they can't see eligibility, and vice versa. It is rare to get an answer to any question and they often leave the call with forwarding it to a different department to review and request that I call back in 14 days to see if they have handled the problem. I spend an enormous amount of time trying to answer seemingly simple questions. Their online portal for questions is just as bad or worse in receiving answers and I would not recommend Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. They are by far the most difficult insurance company to deal with.

2 years ago

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Sittin Hawk

Their online system for finding a doctor in your plan is abysmal. The biggest problem is that it lists incorrect information about where a doctor is located. About 90% of the time that I end up deciding on a doctor and contacting their office (address and phone number you obtained from Anthem), they tell me that they have no doctor by that name working in the office. Once, the address they had attached to a doctor was a public bus stop! I swear by all that is holy that it takes me 8 hours to find a new PCP. Also, an important aspect for choosing my doctor is their location: Is it near my home, work, inbetween? And the ability to sort by distance seems incredibly broken: It puts a marker on the map in the wrong spot, but uses this as the distance metric. So I end up spending a lot of time having to google the addresses before hand to see where they are actually located.

2 years ago

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NH Mom Londonderry, NH

Anthem BCBS NH has the worst customer service of any insurance company I have had the misfortune to deal with. They DO NOT care about their members. The above review needs updating. The Sydney application is not useful. It is a cost saving measure, as is their excessive phone center and email messaging outsourcing. They give canned cut and paste answers. It is almost impossible to get a straight answer from a phone call, if you get an answer at all instead of being put on hold or hung up on. The benefits information is confusing, even to their own employees. We were consistently charged too much for our primary care copays because their claims department made a mistake, as did their customer service. When I finally found one person who knew what they were doing, despite the horrible documentation in plan benefits that their own employees didn't understand, the problem was not fully rectified on their end. I was told to provide them with all the dates and services that they incorrectly processed. I have to do the work to fix their mistake. Anthem refuses to allow you to use discount providers like Costco or BJ'S. I could not afford to replace the lenses on my eyeglasses by using the eyeglass benefit through their provider. It cost me less to pay out of pocket, which doesn't go towards my deductible, nor do they reimburse me anything towards my costs because I had to go out of network. I can't afford to get a hearing aid because the cost to use their providers is excessive and they won't reimburse anything for going out of network. A hearing test is free at most centers, but will cost me $80 for a copay if I use one of their providers. My contact exam cost me $220 using their provider, but would have cost me $80 out of pocket at Costco ( unfortunately my eye doctor passed). Their copays are often higher than out if pocket costs after negotiated rates, meaning they pay nothing. They have raised copays to maximize their profits, not because they need to. We get a letter saying they have overcharged for plan costs, but the money has been returned to the employer to do with as they see fit. In other words, the employer pockets the money and keeps using then while the employee gets screwed with ever increasing co-pays, deductibles, and plan costs. They raise premiums every year, even though they consistently return money to employers for overcharging for plan costs instead of lowering deductibles, co-pays or premiums. Pick any other insurance company, if you have a choice. We don't. We get to pick from Anthem worse or worse, expensive or more expensive. Run away from this awful, expensive, price gouging insurance company if you can.

2 years ago

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Darrin Pelham Rincon, GA

We really liked the services provided at anthem. We had several options for the amount of coverage that we wanted and for a cost that was good for us. The customer service staff was always helpful in our inquiries as well.

2 years ago

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Kristina Mableton, GA

My gosh for the pain I have had with this insurance. Pain. Pain. Pain. To give birth I am limited to two places only: the ones I wouldn't even have considered looking at should I have a better insurance. Large places like Wellstar or North Fulton do not have a contract with Anthem. It is just crazy. You'd think, it's Blue Cross Blue Shield, right? Wrong. Especially if purchased through market place. Nope. Nope. Nope. The customer service is great sometimes, especially, if they send the right info. But the coverage itself sucks!!! Absolutely, without a doubt, sucks! And it's not cheap! So, save your money and get a better insurance.

3 years ago

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NC Atlanta, GA

If I could give them a negative, I would. I had 4 dermatology appointments in 2019 that Anthem covered. Then in August they denied. Turns out the original claims should not have been covered as doctor was not in network. Anthem is the one who told me to go to this doctor as he was in Network. I'm in the process of switching to my work healthcare on 1/1/2020. I called customer service on10/31 spoke to Julian. Told him to remove my auto draft effective 1/1/2020. Well, on 11/3, I receive a notice stating my monthly payment (which was auto draft) was not received. I am assuming Julian put the wrong stop payment date in. So, now I have to call (again) to get this bill adjusted. I have nothing on the portal to allow you to pay manually. So another phone call. How inept can a company's customer service be? Only 2 more months left and I'm done with Anthem. I'm sure the next company will be similar as all healthcare is screwed up....

4 years ago

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A Indianapolis, IN

I have only been on my anthem plan for a few months but have already had an awful experience. My parents have the same type of plan I do, but have been on it for a few years. I was recently sent to a specialist and through my research and conversations with anthem to figure out my payments, I found out they had been overcharging my parents for 2 years for specialist visits! With my plan, a specialists visit without any extra procedures or additional exams (scopes, etc) should only be $50. Turns out, anthem was billing me for the entire visit, and had been doing the same thing to my parents for 2 years. Anthem sent my claims and my parents back to be rechecked, but I am sure they are doing this to other customers as well. If you don’t question and stay on top of things, anthem will bill you for more than you actually owe. I also found out by anthem that if the doctor bills as an outpatient visit vs. an office visit, you are charged more money, so something to keep in mind if you are referred to a specialist or see a PCP that bills under a hospital.

4 years ago

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Happy Customer Griffith, IN

Spent all day trying to get information off website. Spoke to what they call technical support. Gave me a incident number. Said would email me when corrected, nothing. Then called customer service the girl was nice asked her to send me all of my EOB’S since a certain date seeing I couldn’t pull them off website. She did. Cant open it cause she sent it through a secure email and their website won’t let me register to open it. Email states if your having difficulty with secure email call technical support. Gone for weekend. Seriously? Your having website issues where members can’t get on and get the info they need, and IT goes home. I am now without the information I needed until Monday. Where I work IT always makes sure All is running smoothly. If not they just don’t go home. But then again we care about our customers. Trying to Edit this to read UNHAPPY CUSTOMER!!

4 years ago

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C CONLIN Hoboken, NJ

If I could give NEGATIVE stars i would. To make a long story short, Anthem has repeatedly rejected a request for my mother- a HEART FAILURE patient- to receive an at home life vest that will monitor her heart and act as a defibrillator if she goes into cardiac arrest (which she is at an increased risk for). Even after conversations with multiple cardiologists who advised it would be in my mothers' best interest to receive this vest, Anthem has rejected the claim. How do these people sleep at night knowing they are causing probably 1000's of families the trouble, worry and tragic burden they have caused mine?

4 years ago

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Kyleigh Brown Marietta, GA

If I could give this company negative stars, I would. I have been an ongoing battle with them, which has led to me not being covered for the last four months. The short story is.. I have proof of submitted payment and email confirmation from the company. Unexpectedly, two months later I receive a letter in the mail of coverage termination. I never received any prior notice via email or mail. Btw, never received insurance cards when asked, and never received any information via email or mailing prior to notifying my of cancelled coverage. After countless phone calls that only resulted in false promises, lack of communication, and continuously starting over at each call, I finally spoke to a kind, helpful woman. She did some research and come to the conclusion ANTHEM was at FAULT for a glitch in their system. I was to be reinstated for the past four months coverage. She said in about three weeks you will be notified that your reinstatement would occur and your coverage would be active. Two weeks late, I received another letter in the mail that my insurance will not be reinstated with no explanation. I have left voicemails and emails, and still have not heard back. This company has the by far the worst customer service and I will never use their services and I hope other readers won't as well. Choose ANY company but this one. Anthem is a disaster and sadly the customers are the ones who suffer.

4 years ago

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Eric Hiatt Aldie, VA

Anthem is by far the worst insurance carrier I have ever had the displeasure of working. They do not want you to be healthy and receive help, they just want your money. During last year I have sought chiropractic assistance and I have had a surgery done on my wrist. In the Anthem benefits section of my policy, I am granted 30 SEPARATE visits for chiropractor and physical and occupational therapy. That is 60 total visits. However, instead of being honest and transparent, Anthem double counted all 20 of my chiropractor visits. Which means that instead of having 30 physical and occupational therapy visits available once I started rehab from wrist surgery - I only had 10. Why would 20 chiropractor visits count as 40 total visits between two SEPARATE benefit categories. If this wasn't bad enough, I called to get this issue resolved. I was informed that it would be resolved within 30 days, at which time Anthem would call to inform me of the resolution. However, 6 weeks passed and Anthem never got back to me. 4 calls to Anthem later and they have no explanation to why my 20 visits were counted as 40 visits, and they were not willing to correct their mistake. Therefore, I was only granted 10 physical therapy visits when I needed more. Additionally, they rejected the appeal submitted by my PT doctor, saying they would not allow me any more visits - despite their dishonesty and mistakes made on my behalf. Please, if you are looking for a new health care provider, steer clear of Anthem. They will lie to you as you continue to pay them for services they do not provide. It is clear to me why they have 1 star rating - and I can only assume it is because 0 stars is not an option.

4 years ago

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Darin Sidwell Rolla, MO

Worst customer service ever! The business model appears to follow a program that simply denies services as a standard. I have been denied surgical services despite living with debilitating pain. I can't tie my own shoes or put on my own socks. When I stand up from a seated position I have to pop my hip back in place to simply walk with a limp. I have had one hip replacement and was denied the service for months until finally receiving approval the day before surgery. I am going through the same process on the other hip which continues to worsen. I am continuing to get denials from Anthem claiming my needs are not medically necessary. I have had opinions from two doctors claiming all options have been exhausted aside from surgery. The last thing I want to do is have surgery but want to continue to live an active lifestyle without a limp and pain. My surgery has been strategically scheduled due to my career as a teacher. Despite overwhelming evidence that surgery is the only remaining option, Anthem continues to claim it is not medically necessary and continues to deny me but gives me the option to start a 30-60 day appeal process! This means that I will have to wait another year to get surgery due to my work schedule. Meanwhile I continue to live with debilitating pain and dependence on my wife's help to dress myself. I know several others in the Anthem group plan that are or have been denied surgical services despite the need for knee braces or canes needed to simply walk. Anthem managers continue to tell me the doctor hasn't proven the need despite the notes they have shown me that have been presented to Anthem. They are not honest and are not fulfilling the contractual agreement or medical needs of their customers. How can this be legal?

4 years ago

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Jen Lebanon, PA

They don't cover anything! I've already spent nearly $1000 over the past two months to figure out why I am having pain and other problems. I will be having laparoscopic surgery to check for endometriosis and a hysteroscopy to remove a large uterine polyp the doctor found. My "insurance" is paying nothing, so I will receive a bill in addition to the payment I had to make up front before the surgery. Unfortunately, this is the joke that my employer has chosen, telling me that they really don't care about employee health. When it comes time to renew I will probably just cancel since it will save me over a thousand dollars a year, depending on the cost of my husband's epilepsy medication, which I can then use to pay the doctor instead of paying both. This isn't health insurance, it's just a scam--you pay in and they cover nothing!

4 years ago

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PR Denver, CO

You pay a high premium for the platinum plan expecting to have excellent coverage - they don't cover have the medications someone needs even if their doctor submits an exception, it is always something. They changed the platinum and raised it's rates but covers less. They made in office services an out patient procedure requiring the patient to pay more out of pocket even when it should be covered. They are more concerned with their bottom line than providing coverage for the cost of their insurance. The customer services reps are super nice and totally understand- but most of all do not disagree with the rip off insurance companies primarily Anthem is. They are not in the business of providing coverage - just collecting premiums. If it was a personal choice I would go with another provider but this is what my company offers. It's amazing that preventative care and medicine needed to remain healthy and out of the hospital cost more than if I just let myself get sick and have a hospital stay.

5 years ago

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JamesW Merrimack, NH

Appalling- have spent close to six hours on the phone with them since January. Every time I call I am told I have called the wrong number ( which is the one on the back of the card) . Reaching a person I'm told 'I don't deal with small groups'. One claim was denied due to 'lack of referral' and they were two blind to see that the PCP was the treating physician, when I admonished them and asked why would a doctor write a referral for himself they were stumped. Having waited 6 minutes to speak to a person I have no been waiting 17mins on hold. My claims are always paid in the end, but the work involved is horrendous.

5 years ago

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C. Robinson Atlanta, GA

I tried to use their version of Find a Doctor/Provider on their App. It did not work so I called the help line and they hung up on me. I wanted to know a covered sleep clinic (there are 6-7 around me). I called customer service & spoke to Maggie who had no idea so she sent me to Francine with Behaviorial. She had no idea so she gave me to the clinician Carla who had no idea. I asked each could they not look up covered Sleep Clinics since they are widely available. None could do this. They all asked about my state of mind & whether I had thoughts of hurting myself. After a week of not sleeping and then interacting with them, those thoughts certainly started looking like a possibility. I have had Anthem for 6 months now and they truly have been awful with customer support.

5 years ago

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Jesuis Middlebury, CT

I've shopped around for years and ended up with Anthem, throwing my hands up. Aside from the obscene premiums, it's even an uphill battle to RENEW a policy! Every year it's the same thing. I do everything I'm supposed to do, and the new policy gets screwed up. Hours on the phone to get it straightened out. Out of the blue in 9th month of coverage, regular charges from GP get denied because they used last year's member number and say that I'm not covered. Emergency ambulance services not covered because 911 ambulance was "out of network". The administrative problems are endless. I just don't know if any other company would be better. I'm paying $1175 for an individual- I'm an early retiree at 60 years old. I don't think I'll make it to 70.

5 years ago

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Jasmin Jackson, MI

I have literally battled non stop with this company for the last 5 months. Blood tests that are FEDERALLY required when you are pregnant (HIV test, other std panels) they refuse to cover and don't consider it preventative care when in fact it is and is a part of prenatal care. I recently had a genetics test to prepare myself and fiancé in case we had to go through what my uncle did, my family is a deletions syndrome carrier as well as downs syndrome, my fiancé is a downs syndrome carrier as well. Because of the genetic mutations on both sides, my doctor wanted the natera test done, I was told at most I'd end up paying 200 out of pocket. Ok no biggie. Imagine my surprise in January when I got a bill for the first set of prenatal tests and panels only to see of 1200 dollars, this garbage insurance company only covered 300, so I had to pay 900 out of pocket for the std panels and the glucose test. 2 tests that are usually covered by any other insurance company. So over the last week I noticed a denied insurance claim. The natera test. For the deletion syndrome and the downs syndrome. 8,000 dollar bill. Yes, 8 grand! So yesterday I get an email stating they'll pay 3k of it, of the 3k I have to pay 529, and I'm responsible for the remaining 5k. Excuse me? Come to find out that 5 grand won't apply to my out of pocket which my out of pocket max is 4 grand, it also won't apply to my deductible because they consider it "experimental" actually this test has been around for quite some time and most doctors prefer it over the quad test. I am livid. I get a bill for my ultrasound yesterday as well, of the bill, they covered 20 dollars, 20 measly bucks, I have to pay the remaining 289 of that. I'm sorry why do I even pay this company for coverage when clearly they cover nothing. Next thing they'll say is giving birth is "experimental". I do not recommend this health insurance company. Find someone better. You may as well have cobra for what you pay with no coverage. No matter if it's in network.

6 years ago

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Steven Atlanta, GA

I have used Anthem for a number of years and would recommend avoiding them at all costs. The customer support will lie about what is covered and not have any culpability. They did to me and were not held responsible. After submitting several documents many times (after Anthem lost them or claimed they didn't receive them), i went through first and second level appeals, only to be turned down for claims that they simply lost or did not disclose phone records for. Of course they always say...We cant be responsible for what our reps say! Catherine L. handled all of them. How disgusting to be the criminal lackey for a company that purposefully leaves off information on appeals and shows no consideration for the time and effort the insured has gone through to even get the information in their hands. My experience has been that this company serves itself and no one else and does so at a high cost to the consumer.

6 years ago

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Heather Daly Los Angeles, CA

I have been absolutely disgusted by this company and their lack of caring or willingness to provide health care for which I PAID. My primary care physician changed medical groups and dropped me. They provided over 20 new primary care physicians that they said I could change to, I called every single one of them and none of them would except my insurance plan or their information was incorrect. After finally getting a primary care physician, I was seen for a problem with numbness in my hands. The doctor referred me to a physical therapist, and again, every single referral I received from Anthem was bad..They did not accept my Anthem plan any longer or the contact information was incorrect. Anthem refused to honor my doctors request for me to see a specialist and also refused diagnostic testing to see what is going on in my arm. It has been five weeks and the condition continues to be prolonged. I'm normally very peaceful person but I am outraged and absolutely disgusted by this company.

6 years ago

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E. J. Scarfogliero Bay Shore, NY

In April, 2017, my daughter, who was 5 months old at the time, suffered a stroke as a result of an AVM rupture near her brain stem. The ER doctors recognized what had happened after performing an MRI and realizing they were not equipped at that hospital to handle it, the attending ER doctor called for an airlift to the nearest children's hospital that could perform the lifesaving emergency surgery my daughter needed. The surgeons gave her a 50/50 chance being her condition was so grave but thankfully, she pulled through the emergency craniotomy, but required another to address another AVM that was found during the first surgery along with two angiograms. Almost immediately, I received the notice that the first surgery was being denied. More denials came in the months that followed causing my wife and I undo stress in having to chase down the necessary documentation that was already sent to the insurance to insure that the providers were paid. After my daughter was released from the hospital to complete her rehab at home, a special chair was ordered from the therapist, this was in July, 2017. That order was continually denied and even after it was finally approved, delivery of the chair was held up. We finally received the chair at the end of September. Now, I'm dealing with the denial for the airlift! The reason they give for the denial was that it was not medically necessary, that ground transport could have been used. After Anthem continually denied that they did not receive the records from the airlift company, I took it upon myself to file the necessary paperwork to get copies of the records that the airlift company had sent to Anthem on 2 different occasions. When I received a copy of those medical records, the airlift request clearly states that a pediatric intensive care specialist was required and that my daughter was too unstable for ground transport. What more do they need? Calls to their customer service department only give you the run around. Emails to them take 4 or 5 days for a reply. Once you actually speak to someone, they know nothing and have to call you back. If you're lucky enough to get a person's contact information, they never answer the phone or call you back if you leave a message. The hospital and their staff did everything necessary to save my daughter's life, they never asked if I had insurance, they did their job. Insurance's purpose is to make the policy holder whole, not to profit and cater to shareholders. This is the insurance that my employer offers and I have the highest tier, the “Cadillac Plan” if you will. I hate to see what the lowest plan they offer is like.

6 years ago

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Kaycee G Tilton, NH

First, this company denied an out-of-network procedure that I need to have done for a serious illness I have. I have out-of-network benefits too, but the surgery was denied. I appealed the decision and it was denied again because they feel the surgery isn't "medically necessary." What insurance company has the right to tell someone their health isn't "medically necessary?!" Now, I am out on a leave of absence because of this illness because it is spreading and I can't have surgery because my insurance company that I pay for every week won't pay for it. I have also been dealing with Anthem Life for 2 months now, trying to get my leave of absence approved so I can get paid, and they have done nothing but drag their feet and give me the runaround every time I call them. They have lost my doctor's documents numerous times, and now I am facing termination because these people don't know how to do their jobs. If you have the option to choose a different insurance company, do it.

6 years ago

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Emerie Gray Loveland, CO

If I could give them a lower star, I would. Our family has been covered by Anthem for many years, and as of the last few years all thanks to Obamacare, Anthem has fought us on every possible thing! We pay in order to have coverage because I have heart issues that have caused problems on a rare occasion (only twice since I've even known about it)and because my brother has Crohn's Disease (if you look up Crohn's disease, you will understand just how terrible it is and how much we need them to cover his medicine) but they will literally do NOTHING. My brother is incredibly sick right now, and I have to add that yesterday was his 17th birthday so the fact that he is miserable has made it hard on all of us; he needs to have his Humira shots in order for his Crohn's to at least get under control and after fighting us, after fighting my brother's doctor, and after fighting the hospital staff, Anthem has made every Freaking excuse possibly as to why they will not pay for his shots. After all we have paid in, they have paid very little to cover any of my family's health issues and my brother is currently suffering because of this. DO NOT CHOOSE ANTHEM no matter what the cost because even NOT having health insurance is much better than having it through Anthem.

6 years ago

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T Campbell Centreville, VA

Anthem insurance is non-existent. They hardly cover most medical procedures and always say "you haven't met your deductible" which is outrageously high. Their coverage for "preventive care" is laughable! Might as well not have any insurance if you have Anthem! Some of the people that work for them are nice but you have their website to deal with and it's ridiculous! Try talking to their technical department and they're useless!! Unfortunately, we don't have a choice, so for the foreseeable future, we're stuck with this horrible company. We had Cigna for years and they were the best to deal with, but they don't have coverage in some states. Stay away from this company and you'll save yourself some headaches.

6 years ago

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Ellen Barry Memphis, TN

I am very unhappy with Anthem's Nevada Dental Insurance Policy. I have attempted to cancel this policy multiple times since moving from the state of Nevada. Initially I only called to cancel this policy. I found out in June that this did not work. On June 21, 2016, I called, sent an email and mailed a letter requesting cancellation of this policy since I no longer live in the state of Nevada. I am still having $54.45 withdrawn out of my checking account once a month. I called again yesterday and today to confirm my cancellation and I was informed that this can take 5-7 business days to process. At this point I expect a refund for the monthly withdraws since June and expect this policy to actually be terminated. If you choose to use Anthem as your insurance provider I strongly discourage direct bill pay/withdrawals from your account monthly. I have never had such a difficult time terminating a policy. At this point the continued withdraws from my account and the inability to confirm my cancellation is truly beginning to seem like fraud.

7 years ago

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Deborah Hyde Springfield, MO

I've been very pleased with our health insurance coverage through Anthem. Their customer service is helpful when you have a question. They also provide you with a lot of providers in the network.

5 years ago

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K Hedz King George, VA

This company is disgraceful and downright fraudulent. They will say anything to get out of paying a single dime for your care. They don't this care about anyone but themselves. And DON'T use their in app doctors who fill force you to get labs done at out of network providers so they won't have to pay for it. I hate this company and wish my employer would offer anotehr option. They have been the bane of my existence for a decade and hahe done nothing but make me suffer more.

2 months ago

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Olivia Howland San Francisco, CA

By far worst company on the planet. That’s why so many doctors, dentist and hospitals won’t accept this insurance. I hope every single person making decisions for them wakes up and steps on a tac every day for the rest of their lives. Who are they to deny an MRI? Did they go to medical school are the Fing doctors? No they are all worthless heartless POS

1 year ago

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Joyce Spiegel Yorktown Heights, NY

my plan allows for 60 EACH not CUMULATIVE for occupational therapy and PHYSICAL therapy . Therapy codes are the same for both so even though i go to different providers at different locations for different body parts it all goes towards my PT allowance. I am trying to recover from brain surgery and ANTHEM is making a hard situation IMPOSSIBLE. I call daily and have yet to get anyone who can see the difference . if I can why cant they. if i am not able to fully recover its on Anthem

1 year ago

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KingS Miami, FL

This greedy company is full of garbage humans with zero empathy. They denied a claim 13 months after they paid it and took their money back. If I could give zero stars, I would, and it would be too kind. I'd have been better off with no insurance. Stay away if you can. If I work for another employer who offers this, I'll go to the marketplace instead. I'd never give this greedy collection of trash another penny.

1 year ago Edited March 20, 2023

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Rachel Yorba Linda, CA

The company has been sued for failure of paying claims on time and acknowledging grievances, so I’m not sure why they continue to poorly address claims or communicate properly to get the process of claims in a timeshare manner. I get the runaround constantly. I have to highlight or make notes of everything required because they do not know how to properly review documents this company is ridiculous! I don’t even want to give a star. Social service agencies deserve the star before this company.

1 year ago

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Bionic Raptor San Luis Obispo, CA

They consistently find a way to delay payment. Service was 9/29 today is 11/7. They are claiming that the doctor has not sent “ his notes” so claim denied. Except the claim was denied the day after it was submitted per the call center. They sent a letter in the 4th of October asking for notes. So now it takes many minutes on the phone to even find the claim and figure out what happened. This has been my experience over and over if it is a costly procedure.

1 year ago

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Colony Cogan Los Angeles, CA

Please please listen to me when I say this is the worst insurance....do not I repeat do not I have overall had the worst experience with them and I'm paying for gold service. It has been horrible they don't get back to me like they say the will. They're customer service representatives are rude and don't care about you. They don't get the ball rolling on things that are vital .... You have been warned

1 year ago

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Sean Crone Indianapolis, IN

No stars. My PCP is in their network. I had an appointment that my doctor switched to a virtual visit due to 3 cases of Covid being detected just before I got there. I switched my visit per the doctor's request. Anthem won't cover it and I'm stuck with a $200 bill that doesn't even look to be going on my deductible. Another shady practice, having multiple billing categories to avoid putting anything on someone's deductible. F You, Anthem. I never thought I'd say this, but UHC is much better.

2 years ago

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shana howard San Jose, CA

I have on Adderall for years. I had to switch to Anthem as my employment changed. To continue on this prescription as part of my mental health treatment (that has been steady for years), I have to have 2 failed other attempts at similar medications. My doctor was shocked that they still have this practice. It is sad that although I’m paying them a large monthly premium, I am having to fight to continue the same level of care that was previously given to me.

2 years ago

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