anthem

Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Thinks Smoking And Depression Are Basically The Same Thing
Wellbutrin is an atypical antidepressant used to treat patients with depression, but it's also effective when used short-term to help people quit smoking. As far as Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield is concerned, then, if you're using Wellbutrin, you're a smoker. For people whose health insurance comes from their employers, this isn't as much of a problem. But the individual health insurance market is a cruel, unforgiving place where smokers pay higher premiums. And so reader Elizabeth's husband, who quit smoking more than four years ago, is slapped with the smoker's rate because he has a prescription for Wellbutrin, which they consider an "atypical tobacco product." More »

Woman Loses Insurance Because She Paid With Credit Card
Andrea has been a customer with Anthem since 1995, paying her bill all the time and never submitting any claims. So you can see why they canceled her coverage. More »

Elderly Couple Thought They Canceled The Insurance, End Up Overpaying Anthem $5,000
By the time the couple in their 80's noticed the monthly auto-billing on their bank account, they had overpaid Anthem $5,000 for insurance they thought they had canceled two years ago. That's money these two living on pension could have been using to fix their crumbling front walkway. It was until they beseeched their local consumer reporter and he took an interest in their story did Anthem retroactively cancel their policy and refund their money. More »

AMA: Health Insurers Still Making Errors On Nearly 20% Of Claims Processed
Last June, when the American Medical Association announced its finding that nearly one out of every five health insurance claims had been processed incorrectly, it had probably hoped it was giving the insurance biz a much needed kick in the pants. But one year and another AMA report card later, that statistic remains virtually unchanged. More »

Anthem Blue Cross Holds Off On Plan To Charge $15 To Pay Bill By Credit Card
Last week, we told you how Anthem Blue Cross of California had decided it no longer wants to take credit card payments and will soon start charging $15 "convenience" fees for those still wishing to pay by plastic. But now that the California Attorney General is looking into the matter, Anthem has put that plan on hold. More »

Worst Company In America Round One: UnitedHealth Vs. WellPoint
Let's hope no one gets hurt during this shootout between two health care hellions, because there's a good chance they'll deny themselves coverage. More »

Health Insurance Companies Really Hate Your Sick Children
The health insurance industry is generally known for its efficiency, generosity and — of course — for its customer-first attitude. That's why it comes as such a shock that several of the more beloved insurance institutions like Wellpoint, Aetna, Cigna and United Healthcare have decided to stop selling you insurance policies for your sick children. More »

WellPoint/Anthem BCBS Decides Not To Be Completely Evil To California Policyholders
Nearly five months ago, Anthem Blue Cross of California and parent company WellPoint put their names in the running for Biggest Dickheads of 2010 by trying to raise rates upward of 39% for individual policyholders, a move that put the entire insurance industry under the legal and legislative microscope. In a move to seem like only a huge dickface, the insurance giant announced yesterday that it's now proposing less grandiose rate increases. More »

Worst Company In America Sweet 16: Anthem BCBS VS GM
It's the bankrupt against the morally bankrupt! In the first round of WCIA 2010, bailed-out car giant GM surprised early prognosticators by handily beating recall-happy Toyota. And in one of the closest fights so far, rate-hike-happy Anthem beat Assurant by an uninsured broken nose. More »

Worst Company in America: Anthem BCBS VS Assurant Health
Let's hope this battle doesn't require hospitalization for either opponent. In one corner you've got Anthem, which needs a 35% rate increase in California, despite making billions in profits. In the other corner is Assurant, who targeted and subsequently dropped HIV patients from its insurance rolls. More »

California AG Investigating 7 Insurance Companies For Illegal Rate Hikes
The showdown over skyrocketing insurance rates in California got even nastier yesterday. The state's Attorney General's office announced that it has subpoenaed financial documents and launched an investigation into allegations of illegal premium hikes and wrongfully denied claims by seven separate health insurance providers. More »

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Approves Cardiac Rehab Stay Fit For A Time Traveler

—>In a letter dated March 27, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield informed Dona that her father was approved to stay in a cardiac rehab center through March 24. Dona's mother began planning for her husband's care shortly before his triple-bypass on March 15. Anthem originally approved the off-site rehab, but changed its mind on March 19, the day before Dona's father was scheduled to be discharged. With the support of his doctors, he filed an emergency appeal so he could move to rehab the next day. The retroactive approval arrived a week later.  More »