UHC Customer Service

[gallupr]

I finally had enough of the poor quality of customer service with UHC.  Both their supplemental plan and drug plan need a make over in properly handling customer questions.  They are extremely frustrating and their phone representatives are not trained well to handle the basic of questions.  For example, my wife and I had to go through multiple hoops to give me authorization to conduct business with UHC regarding my wife.  Each time I had to speak on her behalf, we had to go through a long winded process before they allowed this to happen.  They also do not seem to log their calls so that there's a record of previous issues and how those issues were resolved.  I just off the phone with them trying to get my January premium refunded since I had canceled and gone with another carrier -- for a lot less money and a more reasonable customer service experience.  Their Part D side handled the cancelation without issue but the supplement side was a horrible, frustrating, experience.  Why AARP continues to promote UHC when they have been notoriously lacking in the customer service area not only for Medicare supplements and Part D plans but their standard group insurance health plans.  This seems to be the only way to register a complaint with either AARP and UHC.  AARP needs to service their customers better than to promote a substandard carrier.

[ellis52]

There is no customer service as most of the responders can attest. Even the simplest most straightforward request gets dropped without response.  AARP cannot or will not lobby for better customer service even though the complaints, lawsuits, feedback are pervasive.

Here is my issue which I can't even send without having to have my cell phone turned on by my side just to log into my account:
There is absolutely no security reason why I cannot log in with 2FA with an email.
Chat support is not helpful. It takes numerous requests to be transferred and then they do not connect to anyone that can fix this issue.
I am trying to sign in on my computer. I do not want to be forced to go to another room, turn on a phone, wait for phone to turn on, return to lap top with phone and have it by me constantly just to log into my account.
EVERY 2FA account  offers email as an option for authorization - except yours.
YOU NEED TO FIX THIS.
Seniors may not have cell phone plans or even landlines anymore, many people have issues with seeing text or using their cell phones, etc. etc. etc.
YOU NEED TO FIX THIS.
Give us an option to use our accounts with 2FA by EMAIL.

[CBtoo]

I have spent around 4 hours today trying to solve a SIMPLE problem. 3 phone calls. No solution. On the website the payment history goes back 24 months. The billing history goes back 6 months even if you choose 12 or 24 months. Trying to get a copy of this - and to get the customer service rep to understand the difference between the two is like pulling teeth. Then instead of reporting the glitch to tech support (since we aren't allowed to talk to them) she got instructions on how to walk me through finding the webpage I already told her had the glitch. It goes downhill from there with the incompetence of many of the customer service reps I have talked with in the Philippines. I told the woman I needed a copy of all 12 months of the billing history and she put it in for the payment history and kept telling me I could print it myself from the website. Umm if I could do that I wouldn't have called. Sigh. Their customer service is about as bad as xfinity/comcast's is. Double sigh. 

[AnneM793679]

who did you choose? were they better?

[CBtoo]

I have no idea whom she chose but I can tell you that using Wellcare is customer service disaster (although for 2025 the cheapest for drugs and premium combined for me. Will not be that way in 2026 so people need to remember to check each year). They have outsourced customer service to another country and apparently don't do much  testing for knowledge of English. While sometimes I have gotten lucky, I have also had to call more than once to get an answer. Their hold times can be pretty long as well (but again not always). I go by price though as that matters to me. I don't use customer service all that often so I figure a lower price is worth the aggravation that can happen.

[ElizabethS490621]

I just had an issue with UHC customer service yesterdayw regarding my AARP Medicare Part D plan.  I spend close to 2 hours on hold between the two reps I talked with.  The first one (after 45+ minutes) told me that they only handled Parts A and B supplement problems.  So I had to wait more than 45 minutes AGAIN to get a second rep.

Turns out that UHC still is forcing me to stick with my brand prescription (Tier 3) even after a generic version was approved!  UHC finally told me that the generic is in Tier 4, which means that I would have to pay the FULL retail cost of the generic, which is $100 per month more than my Tier 3 brand copay.

The reason appears to be that the brand drug manufacturer is paying (bribing??) UHC to keep the brand drug as the PREFERRED drug.  I am still paying the same copay as before the generic even was approved!  NO savings to me, just to UHC for now having a generic.

[WebWiseWoman]

As an aside, at the NOLA AARP "Meet up" back in 2012 (ish) we found my Mom had been totally ripped off by UHC for years; I personally would warn everyone not to consider UHC, ever... mho...

[b256637p]

Completely Agree - Customer service via 1960.  Looking for a new plan now.  They should be ashamed of themselves.  It is beyond bush league.  

[AnneM793679]

who did you choose? were they better?

[JoM150457]

Totally agree. Their phone tree is resistant and designed to eliminate any possibility of human interaction. It asks that you press a number to reach a human and then ignores the number and hangs up on you. If and when you finally reach a human, they are overseas, they are ridiculously poorly trained, not knowledgeable at all. When you ask to speak to a supervisor (after a half hour of getting hung up on, being put on hold, and not having the person understand the question), they put you on hold AGAIN and then hang up on you. Every time you call you have to start over with the bot and the rigmarole of re-entering your birth date, and fight with the bot again to speak to a human, and on and on and on. Is every plan this bad? Does AARP know how bad this is? 

[AnneM793679]

who did you choose? were they better?

[JenniferL814846]

I agree 100 % .  I have had nothing but headaches from AARP United Healthcare this year and they abruptly cancelled my husband's RX coverage ( he is diabetic) leaving us without coverage.  When I had UHC coverage through my employer there were no problems, but the medicare supplement plans are user - UNFRIENDLY to say the least.  What a scam!.

[GailL1]

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@JenniferL814846 wrote:

I agree 100 % .  I have had nothing but headaches from AARP United Healthcare this year and they abruptly cancelled my husband's RX coverage ( he is diabetic) leaving us without coverage.  When I had UHC coverage through my employer there were no problems, but the medicare supplement plans are user - UNFRIENDLY to say the least.  What a scam!.

---

Medicare is very different than employer group coverage.  

A Medicare Supplemental plan (MediGAP) does not cover Rx. 

Why would a UHC Prescription Drug plan cancel a drug plan?  If perhaps the coverage was a MAPD (Medicare Advantage with a Prescription Drug plan attached), why would they even cancel that ?  

Not trying to down play your CS complaint, just trying to understand the whatever complaint.

[CarolO870929]

TOTALLY AGREE!!

I AM LEAVING UHC & AARP!

WHY?   UHC MAY BE THE LARGEST & RICHEST HEALTH NSURANCE PROVIDER 

BUT THEY ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE FOR MEDIGAP SUPPLEMENT PLANS!!!

AARP & UHC DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR SUBSCRIBERS…THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT PROFIT!

MEDICARE DICTATES ALL MEDIGAP PLAN COVERAGE,  NO MATTER WHO IS THE PROVIDER

EXCEPT THEY CAN CHARGE WHATEVER PREMIUM THEY WANT!!!

 UHC WANTS $204 A MONTH FOR PLAN N & CIGNA WANTS $130.

 UHC IS RIPPING PEOPLE OFF…..WAKE UP SENIORS!

WHY DOES AARP WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH UHC….I THOUGHT AARP CARED ABOUT OLDER PEOPLE???

[MarthaI601457]

Couldn't agree more. Poor Website and subject to phone hold for hours and chat access; neither achieved assistance. Our account lacks product detail and the no input permitted when severing family EFT monthly transaction for two split EFTs with discounts absent or hidden in premium increases. AARP was no better and this family will likely ditch both AARP membership and United Health. Inexcusably poor customer service on the part of both AARP and United Heath.

[DaveM982460]

Totally agree.  Their customer service managers promise to call back and never do, so you get to start over.  I've only found one representative that could help and I can't seem to get back to her.

Has anyone found a way to file a formal complaint to AARP or UHC other that this message board?  

[JenniferL814846]

I filed a  complaint with the Better Business Burea bureau and Medicare and lo and behold, got a call soon after from their customer service. That got their attention,obviously.

[jcgc50]

 I recently filed a complaint regarding my Part D carrier, not UHC, and got a pretty quick response from them. Not that it solved the issue. You can file a complaint with Medicare about your insurer here, https://www.medicare.gov/claims-appeals/file-a-complaint-grievance/filing-complaints-about-your-heal... 

[JanisBR]

I am at a choice point for deciding which Medigap plan.  I have dealt with AARP UHC Customer Service three times through the enrollment process, and I can't understand their accent, their answers are not enough information, and I just get the same response.  Blue Shield of CA has been very good, clear, eager to outreach on my behalf.  Despite the slightly higher cost, I will remain w Blue Shield so I can actually use their services smoothly.  Too bad.  I had wanted UHC.

[JenniferL814846]

DON’T join united Healthcare -it is a reprehensible business. It is so bad there are many class actions suits and Department of Justice anti-trust investigation.

[MH378578]

I understand what you mean by BAD customer service by AARP/UHC!  I regret signing up with United Healthcare. The new year has not even begun and I have dealt with so many poor UHC representatives and getting letters from UHC regarding false information about my account because they fail to do their jobs and research what is accurate. I am constantly having to do their jobs for them and telling them they need to correct their records. They are very bad about passing you around to too many different representatives as well. I will be dropping AARP/UHC…ASAP because of their poor service. You would think a large company that collects a ton of money from the government (which is really the hard working tax payers money), that they could properly train and afford to give their members better service! Or maybe they just don’t care! I will choose they don’t care….sadly! 

[jj14607478]

And AARP/UHC just doubled their premium to pay for the bad service.

[davidd6204]

I've  had that experience with them & others as well. The problem is the rep/person doesn't really want to go above and beyond, in fact it seems they don't want to do anything. they don't listen and relate to what you are saying.  If you get someone who does that's when you get results. They need to monitor their rep/agents more thoroughly. But then maybe those are the kind of people they want working for them so you or me don't get what is due us without a hassle.

[Maidenwarrior]

I wrote a written inquiry to AARP sometime last year inquiring as to how and why they made the decision to promote UHC.  I got a canned response saying AARP has not received any complaints from it's members regarding the services UHC provides.  My question was ignored.  One would like to think that AARP engaged in due diligence when they selected UHC, but likely it has to do with contributions that UHC makes to AARP.  Interestingly, my pension plan promotes UHC.  If enough AARP members banded together and requested transparency from AARP, perhaps our questions would be answered.  I don't think any of us believe there won't be some corruption/fraud in these programs, but we do have a right to know how it is AARP is such a supporter of UHC.

Would you mind sharing who your new Advantage Plan is, and how you chose them?

[k56030t]

I absolutely agree. AARP has not sought any improvements in UHC customer service. I have not seen any statements by AARP in response to the known complaints by a large number of members of the poor customer service by UHC.  

[ggprice2006]

My wife is on the AARP plan and has had cancer now for 3 years.  It has been a nightmare dealing with this insurance company during that time.  This past year every time I turned around, I'd get a new bill from cancer center treating her that was months old.  I finally went in and talked to the finance lady about what was going on.  She told me that UHC was known for holding onto bills for months before approving them and submitting them to the cancer center for billing us.  For example, two of the bills I paid in December were from February and April of 2023.  Right after that I got a bill for $122 for the chem pump she has to bring home twice a month.  The charge is supposed to be $53.70 every two weeks.  When I called the company about it, they told me basically the same thing.  UHC doesn't release the bills to them to send to us at any given time, just when feel like it.  You would think if AARP is supposed to be for senior citizens so much they'd do something about an insurance company that is taking advantage of the very people AARP is bent on helping.

[gallupr]

My wife and I went to an independent insurance broker who reviewed the different supplement and drug plans.  After reading reviews and looking at ratings, we choose a supplement and drug plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL.  Good Luck.