United Health Care (UHC) is my current health insurance company, through a private policy bought through a broker.
Recently, UHC said they were getting out of Obamacare policies. This was attributed to costs, but I just found out why - it is due to incompetence and bad service.
They cancelled the type of policy I bought in 2015, and tried to auto-enroll me in a more expensive policy. By the way, I got no claims paid in 2015 due to my deductible. I was paying over $650 a month for coverage.
I tried to cancel the auto-enrollment via fax. I sent an application for a new UHC policy to my broker who forwarded it to them.
By letter and phone, I was told:
Recently, UHC said they were getting out of Obamacare policies. This was attributed to costs, but I just found out why - it is due to incompetence and bad service.
They cancelled the type of policy I bought in 2015, and tried to auto-enroll me in a more expensive policy. By the way, I got no claims paid in 2015 due to my deductible. I was paying over $650 a month for coverage.
I tried to cancel the auto-enrollment via fax. I sent an application for a new UHC policy to my broker who forwarded it to them.
By letter and phone, I was told:
- I am auto enrolled in a new expensive plan.
- I am not auto enrolled in the new plan
- I am enrolled in the new plan
- My old insurance is cancelled.
- My new insurance application is being processed
- My new insurance application needs payment information (it was included in the application)
- They need payment confirmation (whatever that is) for my new plan.
- I tried phoning their number 4 times, and they hung up on me due to call volume
- I cannot do anything online except deal with my old 2015 policy.
- Finally, they accepted my call and I was on hold for 90 minutes trying to update the payment information, and then I finally got them to cancel the auto-renewed plan.
- But the premium is $100 more than I paid last year, and the coverage is less. I will likely spend at least $10,000 on health insurance and health costs (copays, deductibles..) in 2016. I probably will not even get a tax deduction for this.
- It only took me about 3-4 hours on the phone and 2 hours on the computer and an hour filling out forms to get enrolled.
The Canadians have it right with government provided health insurance. It costs less per person as a percent of GDP, and Canadians live longer. No time and money wasted on all the bureaucracy of US private health insurance.
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