Florida Blue ignored my claim — could you get them to answer me?

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By Christopher Elliott

Alan Wolfson’s claim for post-operative equipment hasn’t been processed for almost a year. What does he have to do to get Florida Blue’s attention?

Question

I was insured through the health exchange with Florida Blue for 2015 and part of 2016. I had surgery last December. The surgeon wrote a referral for post-operative medical equipment for my rehab.

I followed the Florida Blue instructions from its site and mailed the forms as directed, but nothing was ever processed. I have made numerous phone calls to Florida Blue and have been passed around from one department to another. They’re clueless.

I have been asked to mail the forms to two different PO boxes and still after months and months, Florida Blue claims to have never received any of my documents. Repeated phone calls to supervisors have yielded no answers.

It has been nine months and I can’t even get Florida Blue to acknowledge receipt of the documents and process or deny the claim. This is very frustrating. Can you help me get a straight answer from them? — Alan Wolfson, Delray Beach, Fla.

Answer

Florida Blue should have processed your claim and either cut you a check or denied the claim. (Disclosure: I’m a customer, and I empathize. And how!)

Your odyssey is not an isolated case. A quick search online reveals many complaints similar to yours and a low rating for the insurance company. I’d like to think these are isolated cases, but you can read the reviews and make up your own mind. (Related: Two broken Heys bags, one broken promise.)

If you’re still undecided, just read to the end of this post.

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A look at Florida Blue’s mission statement reminds me why our site doesn’t have a formal mission statement. I mean, how can an organization that claims to value respect, integrity, courage and — I’m not making this up — excellence, do what it did to you? Answer: It can’t. (Here’s how to fix your own consumer problems.)

The company offers a few generic contact numbers. You could also send an email directly to the CEO, Patrick Geraghty. You can find him at [email protected].

Our advocacy team reached out to Florida Blue on your behalf. The company contacted you and resolved the issue, though not in your favor. “They gave me another runaround and cited deficiencies within their organization they are going to address,” you reported.

So this is a good news/bad news kind of resolution. Florida Blue finally answered you, but it won’t honor the $180 claim against it.

Sigh. Health insurance!

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Panamá City.

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