by Pamela Williams



www.orlandosentinel.com/health/os-florida-blue-payment-problems-20170501-story.html

Prepare yourself to read about a nightmare that most likely many of us have had, including myself. Picture this:

Great weekend planned ahead, Last minute withdrawal from your bank, Ready to go, packed, and excited to finally get away, Standing at ATM, BOOM! Bank account frozen from lack of funds, What? Impossible…just got paid, Nevertheless, you have a zero balance and a frozen bank account, Shocked and stressed, you head back home.

This is a nightmare scenario that may start to be the normal for those around the world. Have we gone over the edge with reliability on the Internet for every invisible transfer of our money? I feel we have, and here are two incidents that should make us all aware of this nightmare that will only get worse.

In Florida a number of Florida Blue health insurance customers were charged multiple time for their May premiums. The overdrafts have presented a nightmare scenario for many who have had their bank accounts frozen.

Attorney Kristin Longberry told the ORLANDO SENTINEL she paid her monthly premium of $2000 on a Friday. On Monday, she discovered the health insurance company had billed her 71 times! They withdrew $142,000! She was up the creek without a paddle, as she had to pay her office rent that day; however, the bank account was frozen.

It is not clear just how many members were affected by the glitch. I wish they would quit calling these instances a “glitch.” Someone has hacked into the system, and that someone has just robbed Longberry and others blind. We are all sitting ducks now, and I believe this is just the beginning.

Florida Blue is blaming a third party vendor. The healthcare company has promised to refund the money and reimburse customers for bank fees. In my opinion that cannot make up for the damage done to those affected.

Longberry said Monday afternoon that she was trying to call Florida Blue’s customer service to relay what her bank told her and faced a 50-minute wait time.

It’s been a tough year for Florida Blue. It started off with problems related to the Obamacare health insurance marketplace, where the company had issues verifying some members’ plans and payments.The company attributed those problems to the early-year rush of a large number of Floridians who had signed up for one of its Obamacare plans. The nonprofit company is Florida’s largest health insurer. It was the only provider to offer marketplace plans in all Florida counties during the 2017 open enrollment period. YOU MIGHT KNOW OBAMACARE IS CONNECTED.

In another recent “glitch” this is being reported by the DAILY MAIL:

Payday banking meltdown as Lloyds, Halifax, RBS and NatWest customers are hit by online glitch that stops them accessing their accounts – and even makes payments ‘vanish’

Lloyds, Halifax, RBS and NatWest customers were up in arms following glitch

Many took to Twitter to complain of money disappearing from their accounts

Glitch has occurred on what is payday for the majority of the British workforce

Online banking now up and running with ‘missing’ transfers to reappear

Read more:

www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/saving/article-4454978/Lloyds-NatWest-customers-suffer-online-banking-problem.html#ixzz4gJLqOwCp