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Board presses insurers for clearer urgent‑care directories after multiple member complaints
Summary
Commissioners and members said carrier directories and phone support had failed to locate nearby, in‑network urgent-care facilities; the board asked UnitedHealthcare, Blue Shield and Kaiser to return with vetted lists and network‑management representatives.
Commissioners raised repeated complaints about member difficulty finding in‑network urgent‑care centers during a vendor panel that included UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield.
UnitedHealthcare reviewed its online tools (myuhc.com, apps, nurse line) and advised members to search by the carrier’s "Choice Plus" network to get in‑network results; however several commissioners and members said phone agents and the online directory provided inaccurate or irrelevant results, sometimes directing members to distant facilities or to emergency rooms. One commissioner described a retiree who spent more than two hours trying to locate an in‑network urgent care center.
Kaiser’s representative described a 24/7 appointment-and-advice call center that triages callers to virtual visits, primary-care appointments or in‑facility urgent care and said average phone-answer speed was about 35 seconds; Kaiser acknowledged different operational models (integrated system versus network‑model carriers). Blue Shield and UHC confirmed they will improve online listings and phone supports.
The board asked vendors to bring a vetted list of in‑network urgent-care sites for San Francisco and outlying service areas (including rural service areas mentioned by the public) and to include network‑management staff at the next meeting so the board can hold vendor representatives accountable for directory accuracy and member access. The item will return to a future agenda.
