Sylvia Liepzell was amazing! She handled my urgent request from the Sharp Insurance aspect and made sure that my issue was addressed properly and well taken care of. She even called my Mom's doctors office to see why a certain referral wasn't sent and immediately told me the issue. She followed up with me the next day to make sure everything was good and allowed me to rest assured. Thank you Sylvia! read more

Frustrating. I'm paying $$$ a month for health care I can't afford to use. And the IRS acts as an enforcer for the ACA?! That's extortion. Sharp wouldn't so much as send me a bill, so I stopped paying the premiums, which was not a great idea. But, jeez, usually the billing department is the one part of an organization that functions. How is it the rest of the world has health care that doesn't involve bankruptcy? Endless frustration and headaches between the ACA, Sharp and "Covered California". read more

Again I had an issue with billing where I used a minute clinic and used my insurance, well minute clinic kept charging me and I spoke with Silva and she sure helped me. She gave me a courtesy call to let me know it will be taken care of. Thanks again! read more

Again SHP doesn't fail to disappoint. Website typically malfunctions, links don't work, passwords are rejected. Customer service has terminal waits and often disconnect you. Couldn't recommend them less. read more

Update: October 2019. I just renewed my insurance with Sharp healthcare. There have been a lot of improvements since I first joined them back in 2016. I was shocked when I received my latest renewal for a silver plan. The price went down 15%. I can't ever remember that happening with an insurance company. They've invested in new technology and training. The staff that I have worked with have been just excellent. They work very hard to make things "hassle free" and I appreciate that. Since I think most people care about a insurance company when it comes to their physical health, I'm going to raise my review to five stars. However, if you contract with Sharp Health Plan and need mental health care, you may want to look into a PPO option. Their HMO mental health care provider is PCSD. You can look at the PCSD reviews and decide for yourself if you want to use them for mental health. They were not a good choice for me. ---------------- 2016 I chose Sharp health plan after I retired based upon my excellent experience with Sharp rees stealy and Sharp Memorial Hospital. Unfortunately Sharp health plan does not live up to those experiences. I will be changing back to Kaiser during open enrollment. Here are few reasons why: 1. sharp health plan outsources their mental health care to psychiatric centers of San Diego (pcsd). This is probably the worst mental health care organization on the planet. Just look at their yelp or Google reviews. If you or a family member need mental health services, look elsewhere. 2. I had to create two accounts, one for access to my health plan and one for payment. Who does that? I suspect they outsourced the payment processing to someone else. But it's ridiculous in this day and age. Imagine having to have one account at Amazon to buy things and have another one to manage your payment. Or your cable company, or your cell phone company. 3. They aren't paperless. Even if you pay your bill automatically, they send you a paper bill each month, which of course has your account number on it. When I asked them about this, they said they don't have paperless capability. What is this 1995? And anytime you use a medical service, they send you a paper explanation of benefits, also loaded with all kinds of information about your treatments and your account. I never got those at Kaiser or when I was with HealthNet. Instead I got an email where I could look at a PDF version. That is far more efficient (which means the companies are more efficient) and it is far more secure then leaving it in somebody's mailbox. I did find them competent in terms of paying and managing my health bills. But that was probably pretty easy given that all of those were under the sharp umbrella (Sharp rees stealy. Thumbs up. Sharp Memorial hospital, also thumbs up). Outsourcing to PCSD is a dealbreaker for me. Items two and three are annoyances but they reflect an organization that has not caught up with the times. Sharp health plan is new to providing consumer-based health insurance. I'm sure they must be having growing pains, but it is no excuse to contract with dysfunctional organizations like PCSD or to be wasting reams of paper on their customers. I found the physicians at Sharp rees stealy wonderful. I like that it was smaller than Kaiser. But Kaiser also provided excellent healthcare for me. When we had to use their mental health services, it was excellent. And KP.org is world-class in terms of being able to manage your entire healthcare and insurance at one website with one login. Of course this is my opinion, but it is based on real life experience. read more

Big thanks to Mariann O. was more then helpful with my issue. It was resolved within 5 minutes. Best experience ever. Very prompt response. I really appreciate it. read more

My new job offers health insurance through Sharp. I was previously with Kaiser, and man, do I miss it. So far, it took them 6 weeks to send me my member number and medical ID card. I eventually had to request it and it showed up about a week later. Now I just spent the last 20 minutes online trying to change my primary care physician to someone other than the random doctor they assigned me...once I was able to request a change of doctors, I wasted who knows how many more minutes trying to figure out how to schedule an appointment. Turns out I can't schedule an appointment on that website (thanks Google). I had to make a separate account on another Sharp website in order to try to make an appointment. At least I think this second site is supposed to allow me to make an appointment. Who knows? I've now wasted half an hour just trying to get some birth control. I wish I had gone to Tijuana or Planned Parenthood. It still isn't clear to me how to make an appointment online. Did the person who designed this website have any idea about the top 5 reasons why someone would visit the site? Did they not imagine "Make an appointment" would need to be prominently displayed somewhere? read more

I received excellent customer care from Mariann O. She helped me figure out my payment plan and make sure my coverage didn't get cancelled!!! read more

I had a question regarding an outstanding bill from an emergency room. Sylvia and Ebony from Sharp Health Plan where extremely professional and efficient with getting my questions resolved. This was an extremely difficult time for me because the bill related to my husband's sudden passing in February. They were very compassionate and understanding of my request to get my correct insurance coverage information to the hospital. I have had Sharp Health group coverage for many years and this experience has made me very confident that I am in secure hands with this company. We should all be thankful in these difficult times to all the healthcare workers in whatever capacity they work - thank you to you all !! read more

My company uses Sharp Health Plan and what a mistake in my opinion. The sharp doctor I use is great by the way, but the people running the insurance office and the lab on Genesee should not be in the people business, especially the health industry. When a lab totally screws up a standing order, you would think they would try to rectify it as soon as possible, because, well, it's your health! They argued with me about how much time and effort it takes to redo a lab test with the same sample. It takes about 5 minutes according to a technician, but the main office person says 5 days. Which is it? Do yourself a favor and select another company to do business with. read more

Mariann O. helped us figure out what happened with our health plan when it transferred from me being the primary to my husband, and why we owed more then we thought. We also got a helping hand from the billing team, and were able to explain what happened to Mariann so she could explain it to us too. Mariann was also able to help us make the appropriate payment amount and give us a confirmation #. So shout out to both Mariann and the billing team. read more

I had to give up Kaiser when I quit work to go back to school and got on G's plan from his job - at Sharp. This plan sucks. they don't cover ANYTHING! No hepB vaccine, no TB test, not even some pretty common drugs. Everything has to be "authorized" taking forever to get anything done. It took 6 months from first calling the primary care Doc to getting through tests, specialists and results to find out I'm not going to die of breast cancer this year. Kaiser spoiled me. All vaccinations and tests are covered. The Dr. won't prescribe something that will be refused. You can email your Dr. And test results available online. From Sharp, I get a letter, way late, telling me my test results are normal, but no actual results. Some tests are open to interpretation, so I want to know the number results. I don't know why people opposed to health care reform cite Canada as being so terrible. I feel like my experience with Sharp is about the same as socialized medicine. I just hope when I get a job I will have a choice of Kaiser. read more

You would think that if you have the sharp health plan you would be covered at sharp urgent cares, not the case. We found this out the hard way when we showed up at the clinic downtown and then had to drive to La mesa for a visit. This wasn't the worst part, we get to the clinic and there are over 9 people waiting and only one doctor, and over an hour wait. I guess we should have gone with Kaiser... read more

I have a Sharp HMO health plan. I must tell you if you want to see specialist in Sharp Rees Stealy then you have to wait for an appointment for at least three months. I called last week to make an appointment with dermatologist in Sharp at Rancho Bernardo locations for my son and I was given appointment to July 2015, 5.5 months from now. When I asked why secretary replied rudely doctor is busy. Then I called Sorrento mesa location, earliest that I can get in late April. Anytime I get referral to see specialist from my primary, Unfortunately it takes at least three months to see specialist. I was given to see podiatrist 3.5 months and to see Neurologist 2.5months. read more

My family has been insured with Sharp for almost a year and for the most part, there's nothing that makes them better than any other insurer. But, There is something that makes them much, much worse than others. They offer no midwifery services under their insurance plan, forcing us to give birth in a hospital if we want insurance coverage. What a terrible situation to out people in. Removing choice and financially forcing technology to be involved in this birth if it is to be covered by insurance. We'll be looking for different a insurer upon the next open enrollment. read more

I'm a new customer, and I've never been happier! I really enjoy their benefits & I've always gotten help when I needed!

I had questions about my new Advantage plan and I spoke to Mariann O this morning, she clarified everything. I'm so happy that she helped me with all my questions. read more

Mariann O. assisted me with all the questions I had and completed the tasks that needed to get done. Very responsive, polite and productive exchange. Great service! read more

Worst health care plan. They owe me a refund because of their billing errors of $650. Apparently they do not send you back your refund unless requested when the plan was cancelled in Apr. Now 6 weeks later after realizing I need to request a refund and spending hours on the phone they tell me I can pick up the check at the tech way location today. I go to pick it up and no check. The manager tells me I can pick it up at 3pm today. I think it's just another excuse. I will sit and wait until hopefully someone can give me a refund. These people are thieves in the night!! read more

Wow, I've had Cigna, Blue Shield before - I had no no idea that medical insurance experience can vary so significantly depending on the company. Turns out it can - never ever I'm going to get a Sharp plan again. Can't wait for open enrollment period to switch company. In short - everything needs to be authorized, which takes forever. Plus customer service issues. No, thank you. read more

I just need to write yet ANOTHER review because the customer service at Sharp Health Plan is just so amazing! Today, I had the pleasure of working with Natasha P. This was probably my 5th time calling Sharp for some billing issues, and I must say that Natasha is a certified billing expert! I was receiving that I was behind in my payments, which was very odd to me. Thankfully, Natasha only needed 2 seconds to look at my account to realize that I wasn't actually "behind" in payments, but I had 1) an overpayment in credit and 2) my autopay was on a weird date in limbo between the previous and next date. These two things combined confused the system and caused these weird notices. Natasha masterfully navigated me through the payment portal, helping me set up a one-time payment and editing my previous automatic payment so that we could finally square it all away. Her quick math was amazing, and I had full confidence in her explanations about the billing, what pitfalls to avoid, and how the billing is determined. Natasha, you are amazing at your job and I hope you receive the recognition you deserve! read more

Buyer beware. this is a warning to all Sharp Healthcare nurses that have Long term disability coverage. God forbid that you have any horrific period in your life in which you may need to rely your disability policy offered through Sharp Healthcare. My advice would be to purchase a supplemental plan outside of the organization. Sharp does a great job in providing care to the community, but when it comes to employees, I suggest every nurse, read the fine print. You will find that in the event of a need for benefits to bridge you until you can come back to work, you will not be happy with the decisions made by the insurance providers in which Sharp Healthcare contracts with. read more

Have had kaiser all my life and got a new job and switched to Sharp Health Plan. I was a little hesitant but have had a great experience! Excellent customer service, they helped me through the change from kaiser to them. So happy I switched. read more

If you need mental health support, forget it. Sharp farms out to PCSD, who are horribly unorganized, and seem to hire only the worst doctors possible. read more

Levi answered all of my questions, he was so patient and easy to understand. We discussed medicine, doctors, insurance, prescriptions and Levi put some things into perspective in terms of choices and plans. Nice to right such a wonderful review. read more

I really like Sharp. We've had them for years and agents like Mariann O. make them very pleasant to deal with and work out questions and issues with. I will probably keep my plan with them for the foreseeable future. Thanks, Sharp! read more

I have had Sharp Medicare Advantage since August 1st. I had a rather rough transition between my old health care system and the new one but the Sharp customer care people are first rate and excellent problem solvers. I am pleased with the service I've gotten so far from this plan for the most part. I won't say it is perfect (we're talking health insurance here, after all) but the people on the front line are well trained, professional, and compassionate. I end my phone calls feeling as if someone cared and tried to help and actually found solutions to my problems. First rate customer service. read more

Terrible customer service. Called and recording just said everyone was busy and would call me back the next day. Really? Is that what I want from my insurance company? Then I called another number, 18 minute hold, only to be cut off. Called again and was told that they don't send a bill for the first month but expect payment. Told them I would pay, but since it was retroactive to the first of the month, I needed to see a doctor today. They said it takes 48 hours to process. Worst service EVER! I'm strongly recommending against renewing with them! read more

Run!! Don't use this insurance plan. They gave our family 2 different accounts; one for my husband and I and one for our kids. They repeatedly misapplied payments to the wrong accounts and sent us cancellation letters, even though we made payments. Dr. Dipp tried to treat my daughter but didn't know what comedogenic meant. She was horrible and a total waste of time. She billed extra for that appt. All we wanted her to do was write a prescription for a refill. I spoke with Magdalena Perez, who is a patient liaison, and she was argumentative and rude. Most of the employees that I've dealt with at Sharp Health Plan are rude. This is basically Kaiser, but I prefer Kaiser. Just don't sign up with Sharp Health Plan!! Save yourself the headache. read more

mariann o. was very lovely great customer service.

I have been unable to gain access to my account for almost two weeks. The tech support has not been able to help me get back in. This is really ridiculous. I want to be able to visualize and have access to my account but basically they are denying. The phone line does not manage the web portal and they cannot transfer me to people, but only email them on my behalf. They have sent 3 emails for me. I have sent 5+. I've gotten 2 responses both with minimal thought, that did not assess or fix the problem. I would put less than one star. This is ridiculous. read more

I had a miserable year with Sharp's coverage. I would strongly recommend against Sharp Healthcare. 1. There was a billing mistake on the part of Sharp that resulted in my coverage being canceled. They did an investigation and realized it was their fault, and said I'd be reinstated. They didn't do it. I had to call and go through it all again to fight for the right to pay them for 2 previous months where I wasn't covered, just so I could be reinstated. 2. Approvals on MRIs, referrals, etc. take forever. The authorization period takes forever and is communicated really poorly. If you have a medical issue, be ready for 2 weeks of waiting for approval and then many more weeks to book with a doctor. 3. You are assigned a primary doctor. Mine was horrible. Before using this plan, make sure you'd like someone else to choose the doctor for you. read more

Excellent customer care! I been struggling with my status activation from third parties and Silvia L. Has been guiding me through the whole process, from calling together and explaining the situation to making things happen to get my issue cleared out. Customer service in general don't get as involved as she has been with my situation and I am very happy there is people like her who actually care and help until it gets done. Thank you Silvia! read more

I applied for insurance, online, through Sharp Healthcare on November 1, 2017. After filling out the application, I followed up with a phone call and was told that I should receive a welcome package within 10 days. I did not receive the package so in mid November I called back to inquire the status of my account. I was told that it was pending and that there were a lot of applications being processed, as reason for the delay. I was told that I should receive a welcome packet no later than the end of the first week of December. I waited, but did not receive the packet. I called today to inquire about the status of my insurance. I was again told that it is pending, and, again, I was given the excuse that a lot of applications were being processed because of open enrollment. I am bewildered that an application turned in on the first of November is still not processed, as we are just 2 days before the deadline of December 15th. If I don't have health coverage on January first, I will be considered out of compliance and suffer a significant tax penalty. I am not taking my chances and will sign up with another plan who can immediately guarantee coverage. If this company can't even get their application straight, I can't imagine what they are like once you are a customer. read more

I have had Sharp for many years and they have made a few mistakes etc... recently they billed my daughter for going to an urgent care they told her to go to and then she kept getting bills. We called Sharp many times over 9+ months and finally they said they would pay it. Two months later we get another bill from urgent care - we called and they said Sharp denied it again. I called Sharp and they said oh sorry our mistake we don't cover that urgent care - uh well you sent me here - yes but we were wrong and we won't pay it. I appealed it and got a letter stating all appeals should be made within 180 days - well of course they said they would pay it AFTER the 180 days and then didn't and now I cannot appeal this. I went over their head and they sent me a letter stating the 180 days again. Well for anyone with health issues etc... you know it takes more than 180 days to resolve issues and they know it too, so they do it on purpose and then don't have to pay the bill. DON'T GET SHARP!!!! read more

Sharp Health Plan has the best customer service representatives! I called today and spoke with Mariann O. She was so kind and helpful. She helped troubleshoot my issue and document as necessary. She is an incredible asset to Sharp Health Plan! Thanks Mariann! read more

So disappointed with their service, my daughter was receiving care through an approved speech therapist, they changed the contract did not tell us. Waited for hours on the phone with someone who had no idea and could not answer any questions.... they said they didn't have a supervisor to transfer to even though they couldn't find the answers to simple questions. No help and they don't care. Definitely not the SHARP EXPERIENCE!!!!! read more

While I like the insurance coverage, the hassle of dealing with their terrible internal systems isn't worth it. When trying to fill a prescription on March 15th I found out my insurance was suspended. I was furious. I called Sharp to find out that they had suspended my insurance due to a balance. Here was what I received on my statements: January: no payment due due to previous over payment. Credit of $110. February: credit of $110 applied balance due $331 must pay by 2/29 I paid the balance due on February on 2/22 and yet my insurance was suspended sometime in early March. They are claiming it was a mess up in their system and that the statements had been incorrect and that I should have paid the full amounts. Here's the kicker- I was actually due a credit. Get your accounting act together sharp. I get it you are a healthcare company - not an accounting company but that's just part of doing business. I won't be renewing with Sharp... because you know what's the point if you pay and don't have insurance anyway. read more

I just got off the phone with Lorenza. She could not have been any nicer and SO helpful. She walked me through what I needed to do online and did not make me feel like an idiot. I love Sharp! read more

I had initially written a fairly scathing review of Sharp Health Plan. Recently, one of their customer care representatives reached out to me in an attempt to understand and address my concerns. I'm happy to say that most of them were resolved, as well as some misunderstandings on my part. My initial frustrations included: - Charges beyond what I expected to pay - Lack of billing transparency - Being forced to switch to medication I did not want - Inefficient customer service During my conversation with the customer care representative, I learned that SHARP Health Plan and SHARP Hospitals are different entities; despite "SHARP". Hospitals and Physician Offices will construct their insurance claims to maximize the money they receive. In my case, this led to services being coded in a such a way that expenses were passed on to me when they really should not have been. This was not technically SHARP Health Plan's fault, rather it was the product of an overly complicated system in general. I can understand service providers wanting to make as much money as possible per patient, but there is a point at which it frustrates me. Being asked to pay money beyond my standard co-pay for preventative services is one such point. I'm happy to say that SHARP Health Plan is attempting to negotiate with the SHARP hospital I went to and have those expenses re-classified. Regarding my perceived lack of billing transparency, this can also be attributed to SHARP hospitals vs insurance. SHARP Health Plan only has records for covered claims they have paid money on. Most of my frustration was actually centered around not being able to easily access my HOSPITAL bills. These are individually generated by both physicians and hospitals, with no easy way to digitally access them despite all of them using the SHARP website for bill payment. These are also completely separate from my insurance bills. I still feel that, if you're going to use the same logo, you should have some kind of central account system to minimize confusion. Seriously. Regarding my medication concerns, I'm still not thrilled with the hoops I've had to jump through but there is light at the end of the tunnel. It would make sense to me that patients with a history of taking certain medication SHOULD NOT have to move through repeat step-therapy processes to continue taking them under a new insurance plan. However, I received guidance and am now confident I'll again receive the medication I have been taking for years. Even if my old medication is more expensive than something you've negotiated a good price for, let me take what I'm happy with and know works please. Patients first. The fact that they reached out to me personally and helped me resolve important issues has completely erased the negative experience I had with their call-in customer service. That system is still atrocious, but it's been balanced by the personal attention I received recently. I'll have to consider this again after my next experience with customer service. All things told, I'd now rate SHARP health plan 4/5 or "above average". read more