American Specialty Health
Reviews and Complaints

My present issue is regarding my current eligibility letter. My doctor renewed me for eligibility on June 8, 2022. I know that information was received by ASH because when calling about a denial of a third claim due to "ineligibility," the customer service representative mentioned that, “Yes,” she did have the current eligibility letter, as well as, the new eligibility information given to them by my physician on June 8th. The above mentioned phone call to ASH took place on June 24, 2022 and I spoke to Heather. I currently have not received the new Referral Letter; the former letter expired on June 28, 2022. I called again regarding my Referral Letter on July 18, 2022 (I spoke to Emily, call reference # [protected]).The last call I made regarding my Referral Letter was on August 5, 2022; I spoke to Lorie, call reference # [protected]. I am always told the letter will be requested to be sent out; but still I have no letter. It should also be noted that on June 24, 2022, when I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was told no such person was available, and a supervisor would call me back; I am still waiting for that phone call two months later. I even asked, on my last phone call (on 8/05/22), if the letter could be emailed to me, and I was told, “No.” So, the letter can’t be emailed, no one will mail it to me, and no supervisor is available; can someone tell me what I am supposed to do? I would like to receive my Referral Letter so that I can continue my acupuncture treatment. I have already missed out on two months of service.

Filed a claim end of January, beginning of February for a chiropractor on the ASH list.

Contacted ASH multiple times via phone, left messages, and their website about the status of my case. After six months nobody has contacted me yet or I received any updates via email or mail.

I have been fighting to get covered for acupuncture for months now. My insurance (a Medicare Part C plan) states I am eligible for up to 30 visits for acupuncture/massage. Of course, I expected this to be a Carte Blanche coverage. But NO! My insurance carrier uses ASH to administer these coverages. I have, yet again, been advised by my practitioner that YET AGAIN, ASH is denying claims. This is outrageous! I am entitled to this care, regardless of diagnosis or whatever they base this care on. Eastern medicine is a holistic, full body care. I have repeatedly complained to both my insurance carrier and ASH about this issue and, while my insurance company agrees with me, that claims shouldn't be denied, I am getting nowhere.

I have a severe back condition (along with a large number of other conditions). Before having acupuncture, I was seeing a pain management specialist, having multiple procedures (which required sedation) per year. I am allergic to pain meds so there aren't a lot of options for me. Acupuncture is the best possible alternative and yet I am having the coverage denied over and over again. How this company can claim they are there to provide "great" alternative care is beyond me. I will be sending a written complaint to my insurance carrier and will begin a campaign with my local legislatures concerning the many problems with alternative care. I am absolutely disgusted with ASH!

Hello customer service who never responded to me after your initial email.

Thanks for messsaging me. I don't believe your reviewers made the correct decision by restricting my care. It doesn't only hurt me, it hurts Cigna overall because I continue to use services that would have been prevented if my PT services weren't restricted by you. Due to this, I don't think your company actually does their job in the most efficient manner. I suggest your company to put more value on a patients voice because paper exams have limitations. From my understanding, ASH does not reach out to patients or require any patient feedback not sourced from a provider to make their decision. Please change this. AHS has all the power but how can a decision be made that doesn't ask for the patients voice?

Please help me understand why AHS doesn't speak with patients directly? Please refrain from saying it is a policy or that the assessments given at the provider is where the patients voice is heard (a voice is not an assessment). I am a data person, please show me studies that conclude the patients voice doesn't matter in decision making of care. That's the type of discussion I'd like to have.

American Specialty Health also is known as "ASH", is a huge scam to patients and providers. Before they took over chiropractic and acupuncture benefits for part of Blue Cross, Cigna, Aetna, Healthnet, Kaiser Permanente...you name it.

Healthcare providers used to get an average of $80 per office visit and treatment for acupuncture. After ASH took over, it became $41 minus the patient's copay. Which means if the copay is $10, providers will get paid $31 in total for the office visit and treatment and they require providers to submit medical records every 5th visit. More than 50% pay cut and more paperwork to do!
Actually, patients are still paying the same price for their insurance before, whether they pay a couple hundred dollars per month or otherwise.

Now, some very simple question arises; "Where did the pay cut money go?" "Did ASH took $40 out of the provider's paycheck while all they do is administrative work for the main insurance company?"

Numerous of Chiropractors and Acupuncturists had to close their office due to this change. Providers had to stop taking insurances that are affiliating with ASH or, they won't even have enough money to pay the office staff.
But now that ASH is dominating across mayor insurances, providers don't have a choice but accept the pay cut and working extensive hours just trying to meet ends, because almost all the major insurances are affiliating with ASH now. This is directly affecting the ability to provide quality service to patients.
ASH is abusing the rights of patients and providers, they are taking away the chance of using the best alternative for replacing narcotics from patients.

The existence of ASH is only for saving money for the affiliated insurance companies and is solely toxic and abusive for patients and providers.

Dear patients and providers, we need to stand up and speak up to stop this unethical matter.

THIS COMPANY STINKS. Under benefits that I pay for I am allowed 60 physical therapy visits per calendar year. I used about 40 visits and then ASH cut me off. They said I didn't need PT anymore even though my orthopedic surgeon and my physical therapist insisted I did, they all wrote PT prescriptions, called ASH, etc. All ASH cares about is making a buck AT MY HEALTH EXPENSE. I am now experiencing new kinetic movement issues such as sprained ligaments under my feet from improper body movement because I WAS DENIED THE RIGHT TO EXERCISE MY HEALTH COVERAGE. I request that I am allowed to exercise all of my health benefits, and not get denied by some insurance agent who has never met me!

I have been covered under Anthem Blue Cross via COBRA since 1/1/09. Anthem is supposed to cover 20 combined acupuncture and/or chiro visits per year as per my plan agreement.

Anthem Blue Cross subcontracts with ASH (American Specialty Health) to administer eligibility, authorizations and pricing for both acupuncture and chiro care services. Although I have paid all premiums on time and contacted Anthem numerous times about my lack of eligibility, ASH keeps insisting that my husband and I are not in their database (meaning not eligible for benefits). Supposedly ASH has now finally "manually added me and my husband" to their databasse (it took 2.5 months to do this!) so that my acupuncturist can now submit authorizations and claims for me.

Two weeks ago, I received a letter from ASH telling me that they are authorizing 1 additional acupuncture visit past the 5 that are automatically granted. I have had 6 acupuncture treatments done and I still need more treatments for real medical conditions! And the plan says that 20 visits are supposed to be covered per calendar year!

Supposedly Anthem is working on a reconsideration of my authorization problem with ASHN. It has been 2 weeks since the auth was filed. How long is it supposed to take beyond that? I can't get a straight answer from Anthem on this and ASH is impossible to talk to. Believe me, I've tried talking to their customer service people a number of times!

ASH is committing insurance fraud in my opinion and I'm not the only victim of this. I've been told by my acupuncturist that ASH NEVER authorizes the full number of patient visits so that YOU can NEVER access your full chiro/acupuncture benefit (supposed to be 20 visits per calendar year). ASH drags their feet on authorizations, keeps screwing up your eligibility information (so that they can say you are ineligible for coverage), and they wait as long as possible to pay their claims. Does this sound like an ethical company to you? Or is it actually Anthem who is the problem since THEY PAY ASH to administer chiro and acupuncture benefits? Either way, stay away from ASH if at all possible. They are HORRIBLE to deal with for the patient and for providers!