Geisinger Health Insurance Company
Geisinger Health Insurance offers plans for individuals and families, as well as group coverage. People who have Medicare can also get health insurance coverage from Geisinger. This health insurance provider is proud of the fact that it has been ranked within the top five insurance companies in the United States for commercial and Medicare health plans (Source).
The Geisinger Health Plan has over 220,000 members and is based out of Pennsylvania. The Geisinger network of physicians and hospitals include over 25,000 participating health care providers.
Read this Geisinger Health Insurance review, compare ratings and customer reviews of Geisinger at the bottom of this page (or consider leaving your own Geisinger review if you are a Geisinger policyholder), and then compare quotes from many top health insurance companies by using the free quote finder on the side of this page.
Geisinger Individual & Family Coverage
Geisinger offers several plans for individuals, a policyholder and a spouse, and family coverage. Subscribers can add prescription coverage to their insurance coverage if they wish. Optional maternity coverage is also offered by this company.
People who sign up for health insurance coverage from Geisinger are enrolled in a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan. This insurance option gives plan members the flexibility to get care from the doctor of their choice. The maximum insurance benefit is paid if they see a doctor or visit a hospital that is part of the company’s provider network. Getting out-of-network care is allowed under the policy, but at a reduced coverage rate.
In-network deductible levels for individual and family coverage start at $250 and go up to $5,000 per year. You would choose the level that makes the most sense for your needs. When you choose a higher deductible, your monthly insurance premiums are less expensive.
Geisinger Group Health Insurance Coverage
Group health insurance coverage from Geisinger can be structured as a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan or a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan. An HMO is an attractive option because premiums are generally lower than for other forms of insurance. Employers can choose from a standard HMO or elect to go with the Geisinger Health Plan (GHP) Direct, which doesn’t require plan members to get a referral from their Primary Care Physician before seeing a specialist.
With a standard HMO, plan members are required to declare one doctor as their Primary Care Physician. They are required to see that medical practitioner for their basic medical care. Any visits to a specialist must be done through a referral from the Primary Care Physician. Some plans require the subscriber to get approval before certain medical procedures are performed, as well.
Geisinger also offers a POS (Point of Service) plan. This option gives subscribers the freedom to choose to get healthcare services from the network of participating physicians or to go outside the network. Choosing the latter option means that plan members will need to pay a bit more for their care.
PPO plans offered by Geisinger can include provisions where subscribers need a referral before consulting specialist, as well as no-referral options. Deductible levels are flexible, and the company offers high-deductible plans. Employers can opt for a group plan that includes a Health Savings Account, but this is not a requirement for all plans. Health Reimbursement Arrangements are also available. For this type of coverage, the employer would deal with an affiliate company, Geisinger Quality Options, Inc.
Geisinger Medicare Plans
Geisinger Health Insurance offers Medicare plans to anyone who qualifies. Subscribers don’t need to be a certain age to get this coverage, which provides a higher level of benefits than Original Medicare Part A and Part B. Subscribers can choose to get care from the company’s network of over 16,000 physicians and 84 hospitals.
The company’s plans pay benefits for visits to a doctor, inpatient hospital care, nursing services, and chiropractic treatments. Preventive care, such as mammograms, is also covered. Medicare plans from Geisinger offer special programs to help subscribers manage high blood pressure and heart conditions, including gym memberships.
Health Savings Account (HSA) plans are also available. The Geisinger Gold Reserve plan is available without a monthly premium. The annual deductible is $5,000 and the company even helps with health care expenses by depositing up to $1,500 per year in plan members’ HSAs. The plan member can’t add their own funds to this account. The money is used to pay for eligible health care expenses, and any money left over at the end of the year is rolled over to the following one. Once the subscriber reaches his or her annual deductible, the plan covers all eligible health care expenses.
If you need coverage for prescriptions only, the Geisinger Gold Rx plan gives you the coverage you need. Visit a pharmacy for your prescription needs and make a co-payment or order your medications online for extra savings.
Compare Geisinger Health Insurance Quotes
The Geisinger Health Insurance Company offers coverage for individuals, groups, and Medicare recipients alike. You can take the next step and get quotes for your health insurance coverage from top health insurance providers like Geisinger by clicking on the free insurance tool on this page. Click on it now!
34 Comments to “Geisinger Health Insurance Company”
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Jonathan Stoshick says:
“Regarding the PPO With No Referral: Misleading, misguided information at the point of contract execution. If you are considering this plan read all of the fine print and have your attorney review the content as well.
If you call to ask questions have a list of what you want to cover and watch your back. This is a snake oil company. When my contract runs out I will not renew and I will tell everyone about how misleading they are.”
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jay says:
we have had no problems with the great healthcare. they always have resolved problems when we needed it from them.
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lacy says:
also having a hard time with applying for insurance. The underwriter made a mistake and said I was a smoker, which made the premium rise. I’m not sure how to prove otherwise! It’s been a hassle, to say the least.
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Donna Bates says:
“Since 1 star is the lowest rating I can give, that will have to do. This is a very unethical company. Do yourself and family a favor and stay away from Geisinger! They have such poor customer service and have an attitude of indifference.
Also very misleading with what they cover and treated me very poorly as an applicant. One of the above reviews identified Geisinger as a “”snake oil company”” and I couldn’t agree more!”
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marianne says:
“Less than 3 weeks into it, and they have appeared extremely incompetent and indifferent. Pity our company did not give us a say in this matter before they signed on.
Hopefully, by this time next year administration will look at the laundry list of complaints and make a switch.”
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Stephanie Weiss says:
“Run-around for almost 3 months with renewal. My Daughter has been on it since 2009 and I have been renewing since then. This time for some reason none of the csr knew what to say and had to check with 2 people running the enrollment department. They sound like they have never had to enroll anyone who was self-employed before.
They have ALL of my income information & I keep getting letters saying renewal is not complete even though I have provided them with all of the income information that I have that they asked for.
Then, the next time I would call after another letter saying it was not complete the csr would say I don””t know who told you that. They really sound like they have no idea what they are talking about. The csr said the have only 2 people in the enrollment dept. and thousands of applications. THAT is not my problem if they can””t handle the workload they should hire more people or find people who know how to handle it.”
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steve bohr says:
“I had this company during employment with a company. I had left the company chose to continue Geisinger on my own which was cheaper. I was denied coverage because “”get this”” Left knee pain (still having problems).
I work in healthcare I am active in competitive martial arts. I had a recent physical which was good. I also have an asthma history controlled by medications. but they did not deny me for that. then when I contacted them to find out the criteria they kept saying appeal. I requested a management person and was hung up on”
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JJ says:
“I just got off the phone with the Geisinger health plan. I’m a member on a PPO (an expensive PPO with a really high deductible) and called to ask how much blood work costs or at what percent it was covered.
I said hello, good morning, and was very kind to the rep, but she was not. She acted like doing her job, answering my question about my coverage, was an annoyance to her. She was short and her tone of voice was despicable.
I cannot believe that they have reps like this, but then again after reading some of these reviews it seems to me like this company only cares about their profit margin rather than providing good benefits or service. And oh, by the way, I used to sell insurance and have dealt with a lot of companies, often on behalf of the client to service a policy, and I have rarely experienced such a rude customer service rep.
I would avoid this company at all costs. They just want to be a monopoly and don’t care about their customers. Would have left ZERO stars if possible. AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID.”
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Carl Beninger says:
“have been a member for years and have enjoyed being one. It seems that the longer I have this insurance the worse it is getting, though. I pay co-pays and then get billed for them again, their response is we have no record of you paying! Even when you give it to them they say they never received it.
Whether it is cash, debit card or check….all with receipts, it makes no difference. Overall the care is great, referrals are simple, prescription drug costs keep rising depending on what you need, 2 increases in less than one year for two of my meds, each of them have gone from $79.00 to $145.00 today, now that is crazy as it is for my diabetes.”
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Wayne says:
“This is by far the WORST insurance company I have ever had to deal with.
After ignoring 2 physicians letters of recommendation for me to have an MRI they denied it, made me do 6 weeks of physical therapy, meantime I had to take 4 months off of work, being in extreme pain and pretty much used every single benefit I had down to zero, all while I was walking around with a bad herniated disk in my back that is going to need a surgical procedure to fix it.
Screw these people, they are unethical.”
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Kimberly says:
“My enrollment began (Individual policy) in May 2012. The rate I was quoted seemed fair in comparison to other plans and I had a very low deductible/co-insurance. At renewal just one year later they increased my premium by over 30%!!!!
The only services I received during that year were preventative – pap, mammogram, physical, bloodwork and just one office visit for strep throat. VERY UNFAIR PRACTICE.”
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J says:
“I have had Geisinger FEHB plan for a few years. The past 2 years the plan has become significantly more expensive. I am paying huge deductibles, co-pays, and paying huge amounts or full amounts for most RXs. During the past 2 yrs, Geisinger has also been routinely denying important tests prescribed by my doctor.
Their customer service and appeals departments are terribly disorganized, and you can receive 2 or 3 separate versions of what you need to do or how your appeal will be handled. The customer service reps don’t know who works in Appeals, so be certain to get the Appeal rep’s name and direct number.
The most difficult issue is that the FEHB plan terms are not understood by most of Geisinger’s reps, and Geisinger now routinely farms out most of its important medical decisions regarding radiology, imaging etc without ever telling the patient.
Nowhere in my FEHB plan are Geisinger’s subcontractors listed, and Geisinger has never written to advise me that they have given away my health info to some, nameless, subcontractor, such as NIA. These subcontractors will then phone you, telling you they have your medical records and medical info and then demand that you provide them with identifying information to prove that you are the patient after the subcontractor has phoned you in your home to tell you they are denying your doctor’s request for an MRI, EKG, etc….
My advice: Run! Run as fast as you can! This company has become highly unethical in its practices, such as farming out its medical decision-making to subcontractors without ever informing its patients, denying important, potentially life-saving tests and medical care, and charging ridiculous deductibles and co-pays. Find another insurance plan, particularly if you need an FEHB plan!”
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SJ says:
“I am a Geisinger employee so unfortunately, I am currently stuck with this lousy insurance and the sneaky billing practices of the Geisinger Medical System.
After several visits to 2 different Geisinger clinics I can attest to the fact that they will balance bill you to no end, and calls to your Geisinger Health Plan representatives will give you no relief. Other insurance companies I’ve had in the past have quickly resolved billing issues with providers that tried to balance bill me.
THIS IS THE DANGER OF HAVING THE SAME COMPANY PROVIDE YOUR INSURANCE AND YOUR MEDICAL CARE. The provider/clinic/hospital knows they can balance bill you with impunity and that you will have no recourse.
Buyer Beware! Stay away from all things Geisinger and spread the word.”
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cindy says:
Worst insurance I have ever had. They pay for nothing and approve nothing. I would not have this insurance for my dogs
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Andy Atwater says:
“Deceptive. I bought the best platinum plan Geisinger offers based on zero deductible. What they don’t tell you is their copays are horrendous.
$15 for doctor visits and $30 for specialists seemed reasonable to me. BUT: ER? $250 copay. Spend one night in the hospital? $500 copay. Many many procedures (ultrasound, etc.) $250 copay.
Buyer beware! This, of course, is a commercial insurance company. They’re in business to make money and do so by charging as much as they can and giving as little as possible in return.”
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SR says:
“I am also a current employee of Geisinger Healthcare and I have had poor experiences with the services myself and my wife have received so far from Geisinger Health Insurance. We have had the experience of easy access to all sorts of powerful drugs and physical therapy so that they can avoid paying for what I used to consider routine diagnostic tests, namely an MRI scan.
The doctors, being employees like myself, are powerless to influence the process. I have never seen a plan document for the PPO plan even though I have requested one on several occasions in the past. My wife, unfortunately, has significant back problems which on past insurance would have necessitated serious surgical considerations. But not here.
I hope we never have to deal with something life threatening as I sure they would behave the same way. Ironically, the practitioners practically trip over themselves to serve non-Geisinger insured patients. The system “”prides”” itself on its prowess in healthcare informatics and likes to link itself to the ACA. Need I say more.
If I leave Geisinger Healthcare, it will most likely be to escape this lousy insurance plan.”
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George Kohler says:
“Best insurance company ever! My car was broken into and my laptop was stolen with my very expensive medication inside the case and my tools. Within 4 hours of my first call, they granted me an over ride for the early refill saving me $750 dollars!
3-3/4 of those hours were spent waiting for the also impeccable West Wyoming police to finish their report and fax it to my doctor, pharmacy, and the great folks at Geisinger. It’s awful how people are stealing from others these days, especially around the holidays.
When all was said and done I couldn’t ask for a better company or nicer people, everywhere! Special thanks go out to Valarie at Geisinger, you saved the day for me…
Thanks again,
George Kohler” -
Sue says:
“I have never in my life dealt with such incompetence and bureaucracy to get a basic appt. It is like jumping through hoops. If this is the future of healthcare then count me out.
Even if you are a high-risk pregnancy patient they won’t see you until you’re 10wks and only with a midwife. Imagine how many women have lost babies bc of their incompetence. I am driving to NJ to see my old OB paying out of pocket to at least be seen by a competent person.
All other services are similar. Dental care. Any other medical issues. I can’t imagine…. I can’t wait to get out of this area and system.”
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“If you ever end up in an emergency situation, this is the last place I would want to be. They care more about the bottom line than they do about the patients.
They have appt specialists who prevent you from even seeing a doctor unless you meet all this criteria. Then the first appt is weeks away.
Because my situation is highly unusual and I need to see a specialist right away…. The appt people told me to go to the ER!!!! All I need is bloodwork and some diagnostic tests!!!! But no, gotta go to the ER.
This system totally sucks. I miss my old insurance PPO plan. So very much.”
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Mary March says:
“After many mistakes in Geisinger’s end, I finally reached out to “”the guy”” William Byron who is supposed to be a VP in charge of customer service. I found him to be arrogant especially after he informed me that he did not have time to personally talk with members. He also stated that dealing with customers was a waste of his time.
I will be leaving Geisinger shortly. They clearly do not care about their customers. They dropped my 4-year-olds health insurance without my consent. They are a nightmare to deal with.”
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Debra Formola says:
“I have never been treated like such a degenerate or sub-par individual prior to having this insurance.
I am a registered nurse ..for 28 years ..I have worked 50-80hours a week all my life I was in an accident and was left disabled ..lost my job and insurance. I was so happy to get marketplace geisinger insurance ..because I had a pre-existing disability. I paid 500 a month ,ghp took my premium ..but covered no services ..in need of surgery ..won’t authorize an MRI ..without a 90-day lengthy appeal process .
Meanwhile, my health is deteriorating ..so much pain ,on top of it, their computer system marked me as a drug seeker..and sent a slanderous letter to all my doctors and my employers. To have this retracted I needed a lawyer and 90-day appeal process wait. They also doubled my premium at the first of the year.
I was sent a letter asking me to renew ..I said ..just keep it the same ..they did ..never telling me it was twice the price ..I am forced to pay it ..or lose my insurance for me and my children .They told me if I cancel and try to go elsewhere I will be marked in the system ..and my kids would be ineligible for insurance in the future .”
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Susan Belanger says:
“As a physician accepting this plan, which I will think twice about before I renew my contract. This company is horrible.
I can’t get in touch with anyone or get answers regarding no payment claims. They do not pay physicians well at all. I reported this company to the state and I still have no answers regarding different fee schedules. Never get a return call from customer service.
I also find that the patients often feel deceived by the money they owe for copays, coinsurance, and deductibles.”
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Raj S says:
“This is one of the worst insurance plans I have in my entire life. Main reason for us in choosing this was the less deductible plan through marketplace, but boy was I wrong or what.
Even though I don’t have co pay for a doctor visit I have to pay $300.00 for each visit if the doctors office chooses to bill as a facility, rather than office visit and get this there is no way of knowing if that particular doc charges facility charge or bill them as office visits.
when it comes to X-rays and labs they can again bill it either way and there is no way for me to know. I am just tired of all this s@#$ they dish out.
I am already paying close to $1100.00 every month for the premium and the last couple of months I have ended up paying additional 1000 to 1500 because of this.. They really need to get their act together if they don’t want to lose customers.”
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Royce Wingert says:
“I have been double billed (auto on credit card) for insurance premiums for two different months. I call their Customer Service # 800-447-4000 to get to the A/R Department.
According to my records, I have talked with them at least six times in the last 4 months. I have been in contact with their A/R department (April) who says see will pass it to her supervisors (Jennifer/Chris) but they never contact me. I was told that the payment would be credited back to my credit card account but that has never happened.
I would give them a zero star rating if that was an option!”
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william h schlicting says:
“Due to financial problems and being disabled I can’t pay your bill until 9/3/2015(73.20). You say I must pay by 8/25/2015.
I thought you are the best company-WHY?”
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“Due to financial problems and being disabled I can’t pay your bill
until 9/3/2015(73.20). You say I must pay by 8/25/2015.I thought you are the best company-WHY?”
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Niki says:
“Medicare Geisinger Gold plan
1st: they raised their rates for choosing your own provider plan from $60 in 2014 to over $120 for 2015 this year. I have never been ill, good health until past few years.
2nd: MRI’s and certain X-rays are constantly denied, they claim they need more info from the Dr. when they already have this information (they know the meds you take and what Drs. you have seen) they are already paying them.
Test are denied, you need to file appeals for certain tests, especially an MRI, there are 3 appeals, first and second appeal can be denied and you have 30 days to contest this, then you need to fill out a form to see an appellate judge.
The 1st time they will tell you for a fast appeal do this, most likely that is denied, I wouldn’t waste your time doing this unless the Dr. does it.
ex: something was wrong with my leg, ER would only give regular x-ray so nothing is found, I could hardly walk and I’m in serious pain. Then my Dr orders an ultrasound and that is ok, I can hardly walk at this point and the Drs. could see that and it’s ignored.
2nd ER visit I have a CAT scan which they finally found what was wrong, I’m given a walker and meds, now this is over a month’s time, this really was a shame because it ruined my Christmas. They tell you can report the hospital for taking so long, which I did and naturally they agree with the hospital because they have a contract with them, remember this.
So I couldn’t walk for over a month, had to go to ER twice, my PCP, then to the hospital for the CAT scan and blood work. Believe me.. you do all the work and you’re the one who is ill and paying them every month. The Drs. have no say, they are ruled by the insurance companies and why the Drs. put up with this is beyond me, Drs. say the insurance companies pay the bills. Nice game they play with your health.
3rd: God forbid if you need certain pain meds, they have monthly limits on these, you wouldn’t know unless it happens to you, make sure you read about pain meds limits in their book, if you need an increase your Dr. now does an appeal and it can take months, you will pay out of pocket if the Dr. doesn’t write the Rx according to their rules and quantity allowed,(don’t even think an illness or injury cannot happen to you) after 6 months or more of my Dr. going back and forth calling them, faxing them etc. I finally got the ok that they would cover it, meanwhile, I paid hundreds of dollars for those 6 months and you do not get reimbursed.
When you call the head of pharmaceuticals there asking why the drug is not covered, it’s a canned response, they tell you their board of directors make these decisions….their board of directors does not even know you or see your condition.
Not for profit company? Their board of directors must make millions of dollars at our expense.
4th: They love to bombard you with mail telling you how great they are by providing free pap test and wellness exams etc. they should save their money and authorize MRI’s for patients
5th: Last week the same illness affected my other side, MRI was denied again, anyone would know something is wrong with this patient, their board of directors is making decisions again and it goes on. Their decisions have cost me 2yrs so far of my normal life, my savings depleted because of their run around and I’m still waiting for their approval for the MRI, it’s been 2 weeks not.
I despise this insurer, no compassion for patients, I cannot wait till Oct. to go with another company
Stay away from this insurance company”
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Ed G says:
“I have had Geisinger Gold for 2 years and am completely upset with their cancellation of my insurance.
Prior to Geisinger Gold, I was insured by them with their best standard PPO for 3 other years. It was bad enough that in 2015 they dropped their PPO Gold plan and only offer HMO Gold for just $5.00 less a month.
Upon moving to Florida and filling out their change of address paperwork, I received a call today saying my insurance was cancelled 9/30/2015 because that is when I said I permanently moved. Even though they will be taking October’s payment from my SS I will not be insured.
I asked if they could let the insurance ride for October and the answer was “”No, definitely not!”” So today I must scramble and try to obtain insurance here in Florida. Don’t trust them, and read the fine print!!!”
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Rob says:
“This is a Hospital that owns it’s own Insurance company. If you are enrolled in their insurance plan you will receive the most economical care. If you have another insurance company you will receive every possible test they can give you. This is just common sense.
This is a “”snake oil”” company. Their primary objective is ownership of all the Healthcare providers in the area. This way they will have more control over your options. There Healthcare plan was devised for this reason.
We spent six months searching for a pediatrician for my son. Finally had to go to a pediatrician out of pocket. The Geisinger system treated me with total indifference. They have truly redefined boundaries.”
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zacharia Zingis says:
“I had GEISINGER gold classic complete(HMO) a Medicare advantage plan! It was the best decision that I made. I pay $0 premium but $38 a month for dental, vision, and gym membership. I have no complaints with GEISINGER because they are 100% better than Humana.
Humana insurance is junk compared to GEISINGER gold. I would recommend my plan to anyone that does not like the PPO plan. I saw in the 2017 benefit book that my plan is $0 premium and my dental, vision, gym is still $38 a month. And the best part is in 2017 their dental plan is going up to 2 routine exams and cleaning from $250 a visit to $500 a visit 2 times a year in 2017. And the PCP copay is going to stay the same at $5 copay a visit.
Today I had a dental exam and cleaning at a $20 copay if I had a cleaning, exam, and x-rays it would of been a $40 copay. That is the only thing I will complain about GEISINGER but I do realize they have to pay all of their employees at the dentist office their salaries.
Thank you GEISINGER at all you do for my health care needs! Also another thing. I can also live with a $25 copay for my medication appointments rather than having no insurance and have to pay over $150 out of pocket a visit! Again I would recommend GEISINGER gold classic complete Rx (HMO) a Medicare advantage plan to anyone with prescription drug coverage! Again thank you GEISINGER gold for everything so far.
all other health insurance companies Denise me because of my mental health condition but you did not you let me come in with open arms! I am going to stay with you for a very long time!”
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“You ordered trans med to take me home. I did not want them as a friend was going to pick me up from you wilkesbarre location YOU ARE TO PAY TRANS-MED AMBULANCE,INC -$60.00-NOW or I will see you in court
Thank you”
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Sarah Tepsic says:
“We had Geisinger MarketPlace coverage. When I canceled coverage they told me they needed 2 weeks to terminate the account and then billed us for them. So we had to pay hundreds of dollars for them to do paperwork while also paying my part of the new insurance policy my husband got through his job.
We are a very economical family that thinks through every purchase. It is infuriating to just give Geisinger money we could have used for something important.”
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Cheryl says:
I am very dissatisfied with this insurance. It is the most expensive and worst insurance that I have ever used. It is a real headache with prescriptions. Calling the company was unpleasant as well. They take their “step therapy” over the top. Don’t expect to be allowed to try any different drugs if you are diabetic, even if you have used them for several years. Just remember that when you change insurance plans every year, you will need to start over with the same old “steps” that you passed with your previous insurance provider.
“We are finding Geisinger extremely poor in how they treat new applicants for insurance. We have been waiting over 3 1/2 months to hear if my daughter is accepted, after paying the first month’s premium. She is a recent college grad, perfectly healthy, but walking around with no insurance.
The continuous runaround certainly makes one wonder how responsive they will be down the road. We thought they were a quality company, but this is more than enough evidence to question how fair and quick they will be once an actual claim is made. I write this only that others beware. If this company is being lauded as the example for others to follow for healthcare insurance, the country is certainly going to take a major step backwards.”