Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Independence Blue Cross's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Independence Blue Cross

  1901 Market St Philadelphia, PA 19103-1480

  
• 

  Independence Blue Cross

  Union Center Plaza 840 First St NE Washington, DC 20065-0001

  
• 

  Independence Blue Cross

  PO Box 41820 Philadelphia, PA 19101-1820

  
• 

  Independence Blue Cross

  PO Box 190 Dunmore, PA 18512-0190

  
• 

  Independence Blue Cross

  1901 Market St Fl 13 Philadelphia, PA 19103-1463

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/18/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This year i was getting an insurance policy (still the same coverage and same policy provider) through my employer. I called in January to make sure my old policy was cancelled (which they have a recording of) and was told it was cancelled, my old policy would not roll over and there was nothing else i had to do. I keep getting billed for $612.68 saying my old policy wasnt cancelled until March, and that i needed to contact ******. Since i didnt originally contact ****** they say that the representative in January gave me misinformation and that i owe the bill even though i am still a customer of theirs and am still paying for my service through my employer. They keep going back and forth saying its either ****** or Independence Blue Cross that needs to backdate it and both parties are making this bill my responsibility even though i was told by independence blue cross in January that i didnt need to contact anyone else.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Dear **************:
  
  I am writing to acknowledge receipt of the April 25, 2023 correspondence you addressed to ******************************************, Manager of the Executive Inquiries Department. The complaint was received in our office on April 25, 2023.
  
  As you know, the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, requires that we obtain an individual's written approval before disclosing his/her protected health information (PHI). In order for us to provide your office with a resolution, **************** may complete the attached HIPAA Authorization form.
  
  **************, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  Executive Inquiries Specialist
  1900 Market Street, 6th floor
  Philadelphia, PA 19103
  P  ************  x*****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/15/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I've been trying to log into my account page since January but cannot. I've been on the phone with IBX multiple times. Every manner by which they had me reset it doesn't work. On the "forgot password" selection in the log in page it will not accept the birth month to complete a reset. I now owe I think 2 months because I cannot access my page.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Dear **************:
  
  I am writing to acknowledge receipt of the April 24, 2023 correspondence you addressed to ******************************************, Manager of the ******************************* The complaint was received in our office on April 24, 2023.
  
  As you know, the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act,known as HIPAA, requires that we obtain an individual's written approval before disclosing his/her protected health information (PHI). In order for us to provide your office with a resolution, ********************** may complete the attached HIPAA Authorization form.
  

  **************, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  Executive Inquiries Specialist
  ***********************************************************************************
  P  ************  ******
  
  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Beginning in December 2020, a nurse practitioner ran blood work to see if I have **** but no one ever diagnosed it. Two years later, I was finally diagnosed with **** by a reproductive endocrinologist in March 2023. He recommended that I asked my primary care physician about ******* as losing at least 20-30 pounds would lower any risks to my health before becoming pregnant, like gestational diabetes, which I am at much higher risk for due to ****. I am also very likely to develop type two diabetes due to the insulin resistance part of ****. My primary care physician prescribed the ******* on March 24th. It was denied and I attempted to appeal the decision with Independence blue cross. They asked me if I had type 2 diabetes and I said no, which is why I was told it was denied, but I am at a higher risk to develop type 2 diabetes due to insulin resistance and have a high BMI and since ******* is approved for weight loss, I would like to appeal the decision to deny it, particularly as weight loss with **** is more difficult and weight loss surgery would certainly be more expensive than medication. They told me the appeal review usually takes 7 days but was denied by the next morning. As a neuropsychologist, I would like to see the field of healthcare become more preventative rather than reactive. It would certainly be better for my health and lower my risks for complications during pregnancy to treat both the insulin resistance and high BMI, which ******* would accomplish.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2023

  Due to HIPAA privacy laws, we require a valid HIPAA authorization form to be completed and returned in order to release the complainant's protected health information (PHI). A blank for is attached.

  Should we not receive a HIPAA authorization form, we will respond directly to the complainant.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Phone numbers on invoice and insurance card go to a medical alert device center. You think you're getting your insurance company. Even after asking for customer service they insist on trying to sell you a medical alert device. I don't even know if this company is affiliated with my health insurance. Very confusing. I am imagine many people could be scammed into getting something they don't need or possibly having their information stolen.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2023

  Due to HIPAA privacy laws, we are unable to disclose ****************** protected health information (PHI) without her express permission. In order to release ****************** PHI to the BBB, we require the attached form be completed and returned to us. If no form is received, we will respond directly to **************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/29/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The issue was handled by IBX and the problem was resolved.

  
  

  ******* *******

  we keep getting the same denial of reimbursement. We believe that IBX may be taking advantage of senior citizens by making the process extremely difficult to navigate ... perhaps we’ll just give up and IBX come out ahead with our limited amount of money. Please help us. Thank you!

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2023

  Dear **************:
  
  I am writing to acknowledge receipt of the April 12, 2023 correspondence you addressed to ******************************************, Manager of the Executive Inquiries Department. The complaint was received in our office on April 12, 2023.
  
  As you know, the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, requires that we obtain an individual's written approval before disclosing his/her protected health information (PHI). In order for us to provide your office with a resolution, ****************** may complete the attached HIPAA Authorization form.
  
  **************, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************, Specialist
  Executive Inquiries
  Independence
  1900 Market Street, 6th floor
  Philadelphia, PA 19103
  ************  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/22/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I would like verification first that the bill has been paid by Independence Blue Cross and that *********************************** has accepted that payment, so that I am no longer responsible for the bill listed. I will send the ***** release form to ***, but without verification, this does not solve my issue at this time. I am currently still receiving calls from the collection agency of ***************************** regarding this outstanding charge.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I've been promised that they will call me back on Friday on the weeks I called and they need to run by their manager. Then I hear nothing. **** says they never received payment and that I owe the $758.77 and have sent it to the collection agency of ***************************** to collect payment for the bill. When I talk to the *** representatives, they're stating that the bill was coded differently at **** than they have in their system. This has been over a year since I'm fighting this. The only people I hear from are messages from the collection agency. I just would like my bill to be resolved, which *** repeatedly said it would do and has not. Below is the initial bill to me and *** from ****, the second is my payment, third is the bill containing the adjustments made when my insurance didn't cover payment and last is one of the collection agency notifications. I have moved since and now it's just calls 1-2x/day from collections. *** has repeatedly said I'm not responsible for this bill.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/02/2023

  Dear **************,

  *************** to the rejection notification that your office received from **************. Please know that we've been in contact with the provider and have an update. However, we have not yet received the ***** consent form naming you as the authorized representative to receive ************** and/or her daughter's personal health information. Once we receive and process the ***** consent form, I will provide a formal response letter to your office.

  Thank you so much.

  **************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/15/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We submitted multiple claims for reimbursement for our daughters visits with a therapist back in October of 2022. In November/December we received partial reimbursement. I spoke with customer service which stated she could see only 1 month of visits were reimbursed and for some reason the remaining visits were not. She claimed she saw the error and would send it back to that department. In January I called for an update. I was told my check had mailed earlier that week(i now know this was a lie based on a later conversation where the employee read the notes from that call. The representative only stated i called inquiring about reimbursement an that i would call back another time) . I then called a couple weeks later and told a supervisor would return my call within 48 hours. That never happened. Finally i called and spoke with a representative named ****** who was very helpful and followed up with me stating her supervisor looked into it and the claim had been processed in February and she would reach out once the check was mailed. It is now 3/15 and we have not received this check for approximately $1,700. I called last week and requested ****** return my call but unfortunately she has not. My member id number is **********.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/21/2023

  In order to release the complainant's protected health information (PHI), we will need a completed HIPAA authorization form returned to us. I have attached a copy of the HIPAA  authorization form to be completed.

  If no form is returned, we will respond directly to the complainant.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/14/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In December of 2022 I filed a claim online for health care I received while traveling abroad. (Claim #: ***********) The costs were paid in full, by me, to the health care provider at the time of service, which was August 2022. The cost was approximately $3700. Prior to submitting the claim in December I spoke with customer service representatives at IBX, at which time they provided me with the proper form for submitting international claims. I used this form to submit the claim on the IBX.com user portal. In January 2023, the claim was listed as "approved" in the IBX online portal for the full amount, minus a copay. I called IBX in mid-January to inquire when a check would be issued to me. At that time I was informed that a check would be issued in 7 to 14 days. The check did not arrive, so I called IBX customer service again on February 14 for an update. They informed me that the claim was still under review and that I needed to wait ANOTHER 7 to 14 days. At this time I inquired if any additional information was required for the claim to be reviewed and approved and the response was NO. On March 14 I called back again for a status update on the claim and check. During this call I was re-directed to **** ****** **** for more information. **** ****** **** informed me that the claim was not submitted properly and needed to be submitted to them, NOT Independence Blue Cross. They emailed me another form (the same form I used in December 2022) and that I needed to wait ANOTHER 30-40 days for the claim to be processed. At no time between my initial submission in December and my call on 14 March did anyone at IBX mention that the claim was not submitted properly. On the contrary, they promised that a check would be issued in January! Now, at the earliest, I will be reimbursed in late April or May, fully 5 months after submitting my claim and 4 months after it was shown as approved by IBX.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/28/2023

  Dear **************:
  
  I am writing to acknowledge receipt of the March 28, 2023 correspondence you addressed to ******************************************, Manager of the Executive Inquiries Department. The complaint was received in our office on March 28, 2023.
  
  As you know, the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, requires that we obtain an individual's written approval before disclosing his/her protected health information (PHI). In order for us to provide your office with a resolution, **************** may complete the attached HIPAA Authorization form.
  
  **************, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************, Specialist
  Executive Inquiries
  Independence
  1900 Market Street, 6th floor
  Philadelphia, PA 19103
  ************ 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/05/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My daughter had to have dental work done that required sedation and needed a tooth extracted. This was a cost of $1,350. When the dentist submitted the insurance work, Independence Blue Cross/Blue Shield (IBX) stated that the procedure information was incorrect. We corrected the information and resubmitted the claim. We spoke on 6/16, and did not hear back from them even though the claim was "escalated". On 7/12, I called and spoke to ****** who said all the information was correct and sent it back for adjustment, which was another 14 days. On July 21st, I called and was told I needed the surgical code and was sent to a specialist. I called again on August 5th and was told ****** ********* needed to confirm; ** stated this was not a dental concern but a medical one. I was sent to an appeal specialist. She told me that all the information WAS correct, but the codes were not in the right order. She stated on a recorded line it was 100% a reimbursable charge. However, it was denied again, even though I did as asked. I tried to call her several times, as did my mother. She NEVER called us back. This was September 28. My mom called 10/6, 10/11, 10/20, 11/9, 11/18 and left voicemails. We then spoke to a supervisor for the escalation department. She also stated this was a reimbursable charge, but must reach out to the appeals department. She stated she would call back within a week, and did not. My mother called on 11/30, 12/1, and never heard back. I called again on 12/15 and spoke to Symphony (ref #*********). She stated that whoever uploaded the original documents in the claims department never uploaded the codes, and that ALL the information had been there the ENTIRE time. She then called ****** ******** and confirmed the information. She resubmitted the claim stating that it was escalated. She promised to call every two days to let me know how the claim was going. I NEVER heard back from her. My mother called again on 1/5/23, and has not heard back.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2023

  Dear **************:

  I am writing to acknowledge receipt of the March 8, 2023 correspondence you addressed to ******************************************, Manager of the Executive Inquiries Department. The complaint was received on March 8, 2023. 

  As you know, the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, requires that we obtain an individual's written approval before disclosing his/her protected health information (PHI). In order for us to provide your office with a resolution, **. **** may complete the attached HIPAA Authorization Form. 

  **************, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. 

  Sincerely, 

  *************************, Specialist

  Executive Inquiries

  Independence

  ************************************ *****

  Philadelphia, PA 19103

  ************