I've been with BCBS through the ACA for a while and our premiums are going up again this year, for worse coverage. Premiums are going from $810/mo to $1,400/mo.

My company previously offered a PPO plan with BCBS but premiums for my family of five were around &1,900/mo so we declined coverage with them for the ACA plan.

My company is switching to United Healthcare next year.

Premiums will be cut in half, which is great. For my family of 5 we'll be looking at $700/mo and will include dental and vision.

That being said, I've read horror stories about UHC.

For those that have been with UHC, what have your experiences been?

It's not like I have a ton of options to switch to.

ACA hasn't been great. And medical sharing plans or Farm Bureau Health aren't technically insurance.

Any thoughts on UHC? Considering them over another ACA plan or health sharing program.

Sorry that's a pretty general question just looking for typical experiences with UHC PPO plan. We would be selecting the HSA option to get that lower premium.

xoxo

We've had UHC for the last few years. ER visit last month was $500. Doctor office visits are about $40. Rx and lab coverage is good with minimal out of pocket.

I've had UHC forever and the last 5 or so years on the HSA plan. If you aren't sick I think it's great.
My cholesterol meds are covered, my colonoscopy was completely covered (I went into it thinking I'd be paying so it was a nice surprise), yearly physicals and the bloodwork were under like $50. Same for all my wife and kids visits, I don't remember any being over $30-$50. Flu shots are covered as well.

Turn around and max out your HSA into a S&P500 fund and make out like a bandit.

If you are sick and need a lot of extra visits or procedures your milage may vary.

We had UHC a while ago and I have no idea if they have changed. From my experience:
-record your calls with them. They record the calls as well but conveniently lost the recordings when it did not work for them
-watch Rx cost. They charged me full price for a pediatric medication because there was an adult generic

Hopefully they have improved since then

Well, after typing all that in the OP, we had our benefits meeting today and turns out there was a typo in the benefits guide.

That $700/mo is actually per pay period.

$1,400/mo premiums for a high deductible plan. The regular plan is $1,500/mo.

Back to the drawing board.

Premiums are soaring everywhere this year. Have a client that just got an 18% increase and their broker said that's the best she's seen. She said another client of hers is facing a 92% increase. Two other clients of mine saw increases in excess of 40%. I THINK what we're seeing is the carriers contemplating a world where there's no more subsidies for ACA plans but that might be completely wrong. I know ACA is the worst piece of legislation passed in my adult life in terms of how it impacted the market but I don't know the details of how the carriers operate financially so I can't say definitely that's what happening. If there's ever an example of how stupid it is to look to government to solve problems ACA is it. They've somehow managed to make costs soar and quality collapse which is impressive.

It will depend on your plan with UHC. I've had them for 5 or 6 years now. No real complaints, the copays have gone up, but as a T1 diabetic, I hit my fairly low deductible early each year.

My sister on the other hand worked for a company owned by UHC and had UHC for their insurance, her's sucked compared to mine.

I was BCBS for years and got swapped by my company to UHC in 2024. I have the NexusACO OAP plan and have low copays and a great network. I am somewhat high risk being a few years removed from a cancer surgery but the transition was smooth and all my medical team remains in network. There are also nurses that are employed with UHC who call you to follow up after big appointments or a major procedure just to check in and see if you hare all set, or if you have any follow up questions, which I really appreciate. No complaints here with UHC.

UHC has been great for me. Stay away from Aetna at all costs. They reject claims for tests prescribed by doctors. I am not sure how they get by with that. They are pretty smart about it because the hire a 3rd party company to reject the pre-approvals.

ECC said:

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Well, after typing all that in the OP, we had our benefits meeting today and turns out there was a typo in the benefits guide.

That $700/mo is actually per pay period.

$1,400/mo premiums for a high deductible plan. The regular plan is $1,500/mo.

Back to the drawing board.

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That's some typo.