Blue Shield of California Anmeldelser 

I call on 1/21/2026 to pay for February 1/2026 payment for $2472.00. Now i received a letter saying I owe for February. I called on hold for 55 minutes and got disconnected again, I call again on hold for 20 minutes and got disconnected again. I call the third time ask for supervisor not available. Can you imagine how frustrated I am. They took my money for February and now they’re saying I owe them again for February. I even have a letter from them saying my health insurance start date February 1/2026. I have to go back to work and go home to my sick dog and now this. Blue Shield of California doesn’t care of their customers. This is so crazy! I try my very best to do the right thing by calling them to fixed this. They should not be in business by treating customers this way. How can they get away with this! Simple not nice and not honest. I would not recommend them to any of my family and friends.

I had an appointment with a dentist booked via Blue Shield of California. After I arrived at the dentist office, they informed me that the provider I had an appointment with no longer works at that office.

It turns out, the Blue Shield of California website let me book a dentist appointment with a dentist that doesn't work there anymore. Wasted an hour of time to sort it out.

I am so incredibly disappointed in Blue Shield of CA. They advertise that providers are in network on their own website, then turn around and deny claims. Even my annual wellness exam mandated to be covered by my ACA plan via Blue Shield was denied from their in-network provider. I hope no one reading this review ever signs up for any Blue Shield insurance. What a scam! I'm even paying more for the PPO plan, only to find out it covers FEWER doctors than their HMO within my doctor's local healthcare group. I spent over 8 hours on hold with Blue Shield trying to sort this out because their phone system is so antiquated purposely to ensure poor customer access to file grievances. Criminal...

Blue Shield of California is hands-down the most predatory, soul-crushing, slow-walking denial machine I've ever had the misfortune of paying thousands of dollars to every year.They approved my specialist, then denied the exact same visit after it happened because the doctor's office "didn't submit the correct form"… that they never told anyone existed. When I called to ask what form, three different reps gave me three different form numbers. None of them existed on their website.Their "expedited appeal" process took 47 days—longer than their own advertised 30-day maximum—and ended with a one-sentence denial that basically read: "We decided we don't feel like paying. Regards, the void."I had to pay $3,800 out of pocket for scans that every other Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan in the country covers without question. Their excuse? "Not medically necessary." The neurologist literally wrote "medically necessary to prevent permanent paralysis" on the referral. Apparently Blue Shield of California employs better neurologists than actual neurologists.Every single time you call you're greeted by the exact same lie: "Your call is very important to us." No it isn't. You've been on hold 43 minutes because they intentionally understaff the complaints department while spending premium dollars on stock buybacks and executive bonuses.Their app is a 2012-looking disaster that logs you out every 8 minutes and shows zero claims history past 60 days. When I asked why, the rep said "that's just how it works." Great product design, guys. Really nailing the "we hate our members" aesthetic.I’ve now watched them retroactively cancel coverage on two different medications I’ve been on for 7+ years—both times citing vague “formulary updates” that somehow only apply after I already filled the prescription. Coincidence, I’m sure.Blue Shield of California isn’t insurance. It’s a subscription service for anxiety, surprise bills, and the recurring fantasy of watching their corporate headquarters burn down.If you have any other option—ANY other option—run. And if you’re unfortunately stuck with them like I am: start saving screenshots of every denial, record every call, and get ready to lawyer up. Because they sure as hell aren’t going to approve anything unless you make their life miserable first.Avoid at all costs. 0/10. Would not recommend to my worst enemy.(They’ll probably deny this review exists too.)

You cannot get a hold of anyone via phone for a long time. When you do, they don't know anything or your call gets cut off, or there is really poor reception but they won't call you back. Their system isn't updated so all the doctors they say are accepting new patients are not. They are missing doctors in their system who are accepting new patients, and even if you give them the NPI number or the Tax ID of the doctor, they can't find them. And then they say stay on the line for a survey and you get cut off as well.

5 is the number of times I had to call in to cancel my health insurance. Why? Its simple, 4 out of 5 times my reason for calling was to cancel, and the reps that were supposed to answer my call instantly hung up on me (gee, I wonder why?!)

The 5th time however, I stated an entirely different reason (a positive reason, like "I want to upgrade my health insurance" and wouldnt you know it, someone answered almost instantly.

It really should be illegal for healthcare companies to bury their cancellation process through a bunch of unindexed website pages, or require them to call in. The fact that Blueshield follows these shady practices shows their true colors : They want you locked in and happy about paying hand over fist for sub-par insurance services.

Blueshield has the audacity to increase my premium by 12% and cut ALL of the decent doctors in my local area out of their network.
Their solution? Simple. Nothing. Let the automated system assign me one of the worst rated doctors in the county and let me deal with the consequences.

I found this out after a 30 minute drive to the healthcare provider that I've preferred for over 8 years.

Over the last 4 years with blueshield, my premium has raised 53%. The level of care and the features of my healthcare plan however, haven't changed at all.

What a slap in the face it is to charge your customers MORE money to inconvenience THEM.

Every support rep on the other end of the phone is entirely unpleasant to deal with, getting help from one is akin to peeling off your own fingernails.

If I could give blueshield a -5 I would. Its sad that these insurance companies are all blood sucking worms that provide such little value that their only ace in the hole is to trap you into their system by making their exit process so unbelievably tedious.

If you are considering switching to Blueshield CA, I suggest you try to look for another. Here is my experience telling you why:

1. They have very bad reputation among the doctors. I am not sure about the reason but I have been rejected by a lot of doctors when I told them I am with Blueshield in the past 10 years.

2. They are not standing on the customer’s side. Once my wife had an emergency visit during Pandemic. The hospital send me a bill of $1400 for just providing me a prescription. My wife didn’t even have a chance to talk to the dictor. The nurse just checked my wife outside of the door for about 5 minutes and gave us a prescription. Then they tried to charge $1400. Blueshield at the beginning didn’t stand on our side and ask us to pay for it. After I argued with them a lot of times they eventually cancel the charge.

3. Their international partner are extremely limited. Once my son had emergency visit in China. The CS was unable to provide a list of the hospital that was covered. I went to one of the largest local hospital and they told me they are qualified with Blueshield. But later on, Blueshield denied the reimbursement and keep saying it is outside of their network. I asked them to provide a list of the hospitals in the network and they didn’t respond.

4 Their last and the most important reason, they play super nasty. When I want to switch my son’s insurance to other carriers, I called them to ask what I need to do. First the CS told me I just need to give them a notice like 2-3 weeks ahead. But later on when I called them back, they refused to cancel for me and asked me to do it together with my son. Even my name is already added to the authorized user list they still want to give you hard time. Later on I called back with my son next to me. For a very simple cancellation, they take like an hour to finish. At the end, they said they also need to transfer me to their payment department to cancel the autopay. I’m not why I need to do that since the CS confirmed the account has been cancelled. But luckily I still finish this step. After a month, I hot a letter from them saying I have a payment due and they cannot process my payment. I called and the CS told me my account was not cancelled due to their policy “I need to report which carrier I transfer to and provide proof. This is to protect the customer’s privacy from scam”. WTH? I told them I have rights not to tell them where I switch to. But they told me in this case they cannot cancel the account for me. What rogues they are! I know that this is just an excuse for them to stop you from leaving them. Even I send them the proof they can still give other excuses. I consulted a friend and decided not to reply on the payment due issue. They will automatically cancelled it if they didn’t receive the payment. I am glad I did the right thing to cancelled the autopay otherwise I need to file a dispute with the credit card company.

In my lifetime I seldom see any big companies playing nasty like Blueshield. The other one I had before is Dish network but it is like more than 15 years ago. For this kind of company, we should avoid using them like plague. I hope everyone see my story and save time from not using this company.

I've been on the phone now for 40 minutes trying to find out when Blue Shield will bother getting around to authorizing a medication ordered two months ago. After spending 30 minutes on the phone with the customer service rep, she transferred me to the wrong department. I've now been waiting for 10 minutes for the wrong department to transfer me to the correct department. Color me unimpressed.

Worst customer service ever. Good luck talking to a real human being

Blue shield is impossible for providers offices to work with. They legitimately told me to call the customer only support line about a claim knowing nothing about their own company when i spoke to them. Cheapest and most poorly trained call center i have ever spoken with. They truly don't have the first clue about anything and a half way understanding of their own terribly grating script.

I used an out of network provider for my hearing aids and boy, was this a mistake! Blue Shield only paid one half of my hearing aids and claims a computer program problem caused only one half payment. They would have to manually input the other amount. This has been going on for almost 6 months! Every time I call, same old run around. I am getting very frustrated with their service and wished our organization never switched from United Health!

When I signed up for the plan under my Medicare coverage I was told all my current medications were covered. They were clearly not. The agent had lied. The only communications I received after becoming a member was denial letters. I switched plans 3 months later.

Submitted claim for reimbursement of durable medical equipment from In-Network provider in early July. Over course of 6 weeks spoke to three different representatives all telling me "...everything looked fine and the claim was in process." Spoke to a fourth representative a week later who told me there is no record of the claim being filed. So he had me refile online and told me "...he would watch this one personally and call me back in a couple of days to verify the claim was received and is being reviewed." No mention of expedited handling, of course. No call back, naturally so tomorrow I will start the whole follow-up process again. By the way, Blue Shield of CA has contracted with Included Health to handle customer (complaints) so that is who I have been dealing with. The claims were filed directly with Blue Shield of CA.

Can't get simple tasks done like updating ID cards. Awful customer service

Blue Shield of California Under Fire: High Prices, Poor Leadership, and Broken Promises

Blue Shield of California, once seen as a trusted name in health insurance, is rapidly gaining a reputation for being one of the worst providers in the state. Thousands of Californians are speaking out against the company’s outrageous pricing, poor service, and questionable partnership with Covered California — and many are placing the blame squarely on its leadership, particularly CEO Lois Quam.

Under Quam’s leadership, Blue Shield has taken a sharp turn for the worse. What should be a non-profit health insurer focused on helping people has become a bloated corporation acting more like a government bureaucracy than a customer-first healthcare provider. Premiums have skyrocketed, deductibles have soared, and access to affordable care is becoming harder to secure.

Many policyholders report being priced out of their own health plans, even as they remain under Blue Shield’s supposedly affordable umbrella. Customers trying to navigate care options or get answers from the company often face long hold times, unhelpful representatives, and a system that seems designed to frustrate rather than assist.

Adding insult to injury, Blue Shield’s tight relationship with Covered California — the state’s health insurance marketplace — has sparked widespread criticism. Rather than giving consumers options and lowering costs, this partnership appears to function as a pricing trap. Blue Shield premiums on Covered California are often higher than competitors, yet the system encourages users to choose them by highlighting coverage tiers or offering deceptive comparisons. It feels less like a health plan and more like a racket.

Critics argue that Lois Quam has failed in her duty to lead a fair, responsible healthcare company. Instead, under her watch, Blue Shield has continued to push higher rates while delivering substandard service and squeezing families who are already struggling with medical costs.

With California residents desperate for affordable, reliable care, many are asking: how much longer will this continue? Blue Shield of California needs a serious overhaul — in pricing, service, and leadership — before it loses whatever credibility it has left.

If you’re currently covered by Blue Shield and feeling the pressure, you’re not alone. Thousands are calling for accountability, transparency, and real competition. It’s time for California to demand better.

Better communication , but how do you go about the Rapid rehousing program? How do you go about case management to give you the proper referrals for these programs for a CES . Vs1collections zoom call every Monday weekly. Who would I let know about this to have more better communication

They deny everything they can with zero communication and try to run out the clock to see what they can get away with not treating.

I urgently need to get treatment for my condition approved, and they've made me wait for months. The communication between them and my doctor has been nonexistent, with the doctor telling me they can't get through to talk to anyone, and them saying my doctor sent what they needed but it was still denied with no rationale.

I just want to get a case manager on the phone with my doctor's office to explain why I need to get this treatment approved ASAP, but they're making it impossible. I've already had to pay out of pocket for the majority of my treatment for this well-recognized condition and been shopped off to various different customer reps while I tried to solve this problem by myself. It's abject cruelty.

Blue Shield, people are suffering enough. Stop adding to the suffering.

I've been assigned doctors that no longer practice in the area I am in, multiple times. The HMO service doesn't work and finding help is difficult.

Some of the medical groups they contract with, like Regal/Lakeside are absolutely awful and have no comprehension about the importance of member service or professional conduct.

However, this complaint is about BlueShield's Nursing Line. Why this alleged service even exists is incomprehensible to me. Today was the 3rd time in many years that I have called the line for advice. The first thing to note is, they are not a Triage Department.

In each call made to the Nursing Line, the calls each went as follows:

1. What are your symptoms?
2. How long have you experienced these?
3. You need to go to an Urgent Care facility or ER.
4. Promise me you will get there "within the hour."

They must be scripted because they always respond with the samr standard replies while offeringing no help.

BlueShields benefits have decreased annually for the last 3 years but the premium I pay has increased.

Called your Customer Service number (855) 836-9705 to inquire about in-network providers in northern California as I wasn't able to confirm that information on the website, and I live in SoCal. Unfortunately, your representative, Shemilia, was extremely incompetent and even sarcastic when after 45 minutes into the call, she still couldn't help me. She kept forgetting the zip code I had given her and instead kept looking around my home zip code. I explained to her several times, in different ways, what I really needed but she still was clueless (??). I've been on the phone with her for now over 1 hour and 30 minutes. She sent me 6 emails of the same exact thing and it wasn't even what I had requested. It actually looks like she is just doing it on purpose at this point. She kept using my zip instead of the one I had given her. She had no idea about what she was doing and instead of asking somebody else to help her, which I suggested her to do, she just had an attitude(!) and has kept me on hold for about 40 minutes waiting for a 'supervisor'. She seems to be enjoying the fact that she's making me wait as she tells me to wait with a slight tone of 'happiness' and while she makes me wait, she keeps sending email. SHE SHOULD NOT BE DEALING WITH CUSTOMERS. It is for this reason, that I will definitely consider going with another insurance. It is because of people like her that companies lose business. It would be so much better to have customer service individuals who are competent, trained, and who could have at least some level of intelligence to retain customers and be profitable as a business, but instead you have mediocre, unintelligent, rude and clueless people working for you. I guess you don't care about your customers or your business. I don't need this kind of experience nor treatment, especially when I pay $$$$ a month. Our entire family is insured, so I guess you'll be losing here.