Blue Shield of California billing continues to be a mess. When will they ever get it fixed?
One of the best features Covered California added to their enrollment system was allowing consumers to make their first month’s premium payment before they exit the application. While other health insurance companies have successfully integrated this feature, Blue Shield can’t make it work. As of April 2016, when a consumer makes their first month’s payment for their Blue Shield health plan, the money is never applied to their account.
Pay Now for Covered California enrollment
When a consumer clicks on the Pay Now button from the Covered California enrollment or the Summary page, a pop up window appears. This is a link to an outside payment website for either the health or dental plan the consumer has chosen. While not all internet browsers will accommodate the pop-up window and outside payment portal, I’ve been successful in assisting consumers make their binder payment for the new plan through this system.
Consumer’s receive this confirmation that they have made their first month’s premium payment for a Blue Shield Covered California health plan. Blue Shield says they are not actually receiving these payments to be applied to the new member’s account.
Blue Shield online payments through Covered California are lost
I was very impressed with the speed in which Anthem Blue Cross and Delta Dental have processed the consumer payments. I thought I was impressed by Blue Shield until a client called and said Blue Shield had no record of the transaction. Sorry Blue Shield, but I grabbed a screen shot of the confirmation because I have been given plenty of reasons not to trust the internet or health insurance companies.
Blue Shield admits to continued billing problems
Blue Shield told my client that it could take several weeks for a payment through the Covered California website to be processed – hogwash! This is not a Covered California problem. It is a Blue Shield of California problem. I called Blue Shield and was told that they have been experiencing problems over the last several months with the online Covered California payment portal and they are working to resolve it. So maybe it did work, but it doesn’t anymore? Payment and billing issues with Blue Shield never surprise me as that department has been a mess for years. (See: Blue Shield payment problems for Bay Area family).
Health plans only effective after binder payment is made
Blue Shield did show they had sent my client a courtesy notice once they received the enrollment from Covered California stating they had the application and they were awaiting payment. (It’s standard operating procedure with all health plans that the health plan won’t become effective until the initial binder payment is received.) I was told that this courtesy letter usually prompts the consumer to call and arrange for the first months premium to be made.
Blue Shield sends no binder payment invoice
Of course, why would a consumer be alerted to call and make their binder payment when they already made it online when they enrolled?! I asked Blue Shield, “Don’t you at least send out an invoice for consumers to send in a paper check?” “Nope”, was the reply, “We never send an invoice for the binder payment, only the following premium amounts once the account has been established.”
Payments sitting out in space
I was informed by Blue Shield that the payments made through the Covered California payment portal were just sitting out in space because there was no subscriber or member number to attach to payment to. But you can’t get a subscriber number until Blue Shield receives the first binder payment! There is a total melt down of logical thinking on the part of Blue Shield.
Will the Blue Shield billing mess ever get fixed?
While the online Covered California payment portals are a great feature, don’t trust them. Even if you do get a confirmation, don’t trust the payment system. Always call and make sure they received the payment. It’s my hope that Blue Shield resolves this issue quickly and they don’t inflict additional angst and anxiety on consumers, and agents, who just followed the directions.
