Florida Blue glitches continuing

Customers report billing errors

Complaints to Florida Blue about billing and activation problems are continuing more than a week after the insurer said it had solved a computer glitch that caused thousands of health insurance policies to show up as canceled.

Continuing complaints, made in emails to the Sun Sentinel and posted on the insurer’s Facebook page and Twitter account, cite failures of the insurer’s online billing apps to accept customers’ payments, payments not properly credited or credits not showing up in user accounts, and frustration with the company’s customer service department.

Several complaints mentioned long hold times and long call durations with overseas-based customer service representatives, and representatives unable to contact appropriate billing department workers.

A Florida Blue spokesman acknowledged Wednesday that a “small percentage” of the company’s policyholders are continuing to experience problems, but stressed the company is committed to resolving all of them.

Several policyholders contacted for a Jan. 9 story about the glitches, including Plantation resident Ginny Jordan, said their problems were resolved. Yet new complaints continue to surface. Since Jan. 9, the state Department of Financial Services has logged 89 complaints about the carrier, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

Some policyholders said they’ve been denied treatment or prescriptions because their accounts show up as canceled in a computer program providers use to validate insurance coverage.

A woman who identified herself to the Sun Sentinel as a physician’s office employee but asked that her name not be used described problems getting authorization from the insurer for the office’s patients: “When we request authorization [through the computer program], we are given a ‘fast pass code’ that Florida Blue’s system never recognizes. Then we have to fax clinicals to [a fax number] which never, ever goes through. Then we call and are on hold for hours. It’s a never-ending process.

“We end up with patients in the hospital because we can’t get things in a timely manner.”

Asked how many times that’s happened, the woman replied, “Many, many times.”

Paul Peterson, a Southwest Florida policyholder, on Wednesday said policy activation delays are preventing his wife from getting important surgery. “I just got off the phone after the usual hour and a