UnitedHealthcare Deletes Incriminating Chat

[u/One_Combination5776]

I had a certain medical appointment. I used the chat function about a month ago to verify that it was covered and what my out of pocket total would be. I provided all information such as facility name, address, Tax ID, and NPI number. They explicitly said that it is in network, is covered, and what the total is.

Fast forward a month and it was NOT covered. I knew someone somewhere told me it was but forgot who I talked to. I then scrolled up and saw it was in this chat that I verified the confirmation. I took pictures of the chat on my phone and called them out, telling them they told me in the chat it’s covered. I will have to have the medical office re-submit to insurance under a different code or something.

I then went back to look at those messages where they claimed to cover it. They were GONE. Just 30 minutes later. They weren’t the oldest or newest messages. Right in the middle. Messages before and after were still there.

I then called them out saying those messages are gone and I have screenshots proving they said the appointment is covered. And guess what, they are back an hour later.

I checked through the chat over and over to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me and that I wasn’t crazy. I also had my wife verify too.

I truly believed they made that section of the chat not visible to me, so I wouldn’t have proof of them saying it’s covered. Once I called them out and said I have proof, they brought it back. The coincidence is too large.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is this something they can do?

[u/Marx615]

As much disdain as I have for UHC, they really wouldn't have benefited from deleting the chat in any way. IIRC there's a disclaimer before every phone and chat stating that the conversation is not a guarantee of benefits or payment, so it doesn't really matter if it was deleted or not.

[u/One_Combination5776 → u/Marx615]

I just can’t see it being a coincidence that the messages went missing immediately after I brought it to attention. They then returned shortly after I said it was missing and that I have screenshots. Again, they were not the oldest messages so the logic doesn’t follow that it was deleting as new messages come in.

[u/Marx615 → u/One_Combination5776]

You're hyper-focusing on the message being gone when it has nothing at all to do with the outcome of the claim. You've gotten a similar answer from multiple people already on here, too. Not trying to be crass, I just think you're wasting your time worrying about it.

[u/Liberteez → u/Marx615]

It’s a sign of bad faith.