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/crwalle]

I learned very quickly with UHC to keep detailed records of everything. Which sucks cause it can sometimes seem like a second job when dealing with them. But its funny how often they quickly go from "don't have any record of" xyz to oh I see it now after you pull your records.

Also a tip with them, unless it's something very mundane like just double checking a claim amount, don't use their online chat. I have found that the chat people rarely know what they are talking about and give incorrect information more times than not. Call if at all possible. The ones on the phone are usually a bit more knowledgeable... though not always.

[u/hbk314 → u/crwalle]

Though the upside of using chat would be the ability to save a transcript, whereas recording phone calls isn't super practical (if even legal at all depending on a person's location).