Through the coveredca.com website I filled out an application and applied for insurance with Anthem Blue Cross. This was in the end of November 2013. I was supposed to receive a letter from Anthem Blue Cross telling me where and how to pay. Near the end of December 2013 I discovered that I had not received the letter.
I called Anthem Blue Cross and they told me they had no record of me. In other words, Covered CA never sent my application to Anthem Blue Cross. Anthem Blue Cross put in a tracer to Covered CA. I also called Covered CA and I was told there wasn't anything they could do, they, "Help fill in applications".
I was concerned prior to December 27, 2013 so I called on the phone to Anthem Blue Cross. and heard that I could pay my 1st premium by sending a check to a P.O. Box. I did so, sending it via the Post Office return receipt. I paid for both myself and my wife. The return receipt came back today, January 7, 2014 signed by Anthem Blue Cross.
I finally received a letter from Anthem Blue Cross dated December 27, 2013. However, my wife was not mentioned on the letter.
I had a feeling that Anthem Blue Cross had no record of my wife, even though we were both on the same policy, included in the same application, and part of the same household. I called Anthem Blue Cross once again and my suspicions came true. They knew nothing of my wife. In the meantime, Anthem Blue Cross hadn't cashed my check, therefore, I couldn't get a member id, insurance card, etc. This meant that I would not be able to go to a doctor as of January 1, 2014, as promised.
I decided to pay Anthem Blue Cross once again, only this time I went on their website and paid them directly with my debit card. That was on January 2, 2014. Today is January 7, 2014 and the debit has not been posted. Their website would only accept payment for myself, not my wife. On January 2, 2014 I was told by Anthem Blue Cross that they would talk to Covered CA and get back to me by the close of business, today. It is January 7, 2014 3:07 pm and I haven't heard a word.
I called Anthem Blue Cross yesterday in reference to the fact that they haven't cashed any of my payments and that my wife is missing from their records. Anthem Blue Cross was not accepting phone calls to member services (the group that could answer my questions). I called sales instead. Of course, they answered. They told me that they would send an email to member services after speaking to an agent and then the agent's supervisor. I asked the supervisor for his email address. He told me that he didn't have one. I asked when I would hear back from him. He would not commit.
After figuring out Anthem Blue Cross's email naming conventions for employees, first name.last name@anthem.com, I sent the supervisor an email. He never responded nor did the email get rejected (as it would if the address was wrong).
As of this writing I still don't have insurance, my check and debit card payment hasn't been cashed, and we have no idea when my wife will be able to have health insurance. If you want to talk about messing up, this is a joke.