Great-West Life Health Insurance Reviews

The Edmonton office is horrible, if you have any choice do not go with these people! I was paid for a month then waited over a month to hear back from my claim adjuster, left voicemails and emails, even called his group leader and didn’t receive anything. I paid this company for years and still haven't received proper coverage, I emailed him on Thursday, January 9th and still haven’t received a response, this company is an embarrassment.

This is the worst insurance company. They take way too long to process claims and then deny them for "not meeting requirements" that were not previously listed ANYWHERE. When calling to inquire, they tell you you should have "known the requirements" or "called first to ask". Absolutely not - if something is a requirement, it should be listed as such on the website. They will find any reason to deny your claim. If you're looking for a group benefits provider, save your employees and look elsewhere.

This company only wants the premium. They do not want to do any service. They try their very best to frustrate customers. Calls take > 30 minutes to connect anyone. Emails take 4 days or more.

I've been insured with them through my work and have been paying into them for almost 2 years with no claims. I finally made a claim for orthopedic shoes and it has been a month since I sent them what they asked for - doctor's prescription and podiatrist's. They rejected my claim BY SENDING A LETTER THROUGH SNAIL MAIL!!! I can't even touch how bad an idea that is because it's slow and dated... ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY CAN CALL/EMAIL OR UPDATE MY FILE! I called to find out why, and I've had to wait on the phone for half an hour before a representative picks up and tells me the same things. They refuse to pay for my shoes because according to their system my condition requires orthotics, not ortho shoes. I asked them to cover my orthotic insoles and they said my plan doesn't cover those, only ortho shoes, but they won't pay for my shoes because my condition requires the insoles... I explained that my doctor told me to get both of them for my condition, but they are saying their system says otherwise and they don't cover insoles. Fast forward to a month and I've spoken to the supervisor twice and have only received the same runaround. This is literally the worst runaround in the history of runaround. It goes likes this: "Your doctor says you need these things but our system says you need only the insoles. We do not cover insoles for you but we do cover shoes for you. We can't give you shoes because according to our system you need insoles. We don't cover insoles for you." It is ridiculous! This is what I've had to hear for a month AFTER waiting on the phone for upwards of 20 minutes and up to a half-hour. Please! For the sake of your sanity, and your money, if your employer offers benefits through this company, don't waste your money because you can easily pay for your stuff without going through them if you choose to opt-out.

I sent them an email asking about one of my claims.

They responded back 20 days later with little to no information.

They do not care about their clients. Thankfully our workplace has switched to another provider.

For years I had severe anxiety problems and was unable to find the root cause for it. Recently I have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, doctor recommended me to buy a CPAP machine and to be honest it changed my life! The best of it is I don't need to take medication for the anxiety anymore, sleep apnea was the root cause for my anxiety! Turns out that the (not so) Great West refuse to pay for the CPAP machine which is priced at 1700$ because for them I am not sick enough (i have moderate Sleep Apnea), they reimburse me over 1000$ per year for anxiety pills but they won't pay a dime for the real solution to the problem which is Sleep Apnea.

The GWL is worst for coverage through job medical insurance. They excuse to not pay for the tooth procedure and crown because it was taken out before I joined the present company. Don't you think this is an excuse? This company took around 4-5 months to answer the question that, are they going to pay or not. Finally, they said they will not pay. I am surprised why consumer protection is not taking any action against this kind of useless company, keeping such stupid clauses in the policies.

This is the worst insurance provider, always making an excuse not to pay any type of claim. Another insurer already pays the CPAP machine for my sleep apnea which is $2016 and they just need to pay the remaining wich is $504 still they declined to pay it, shame on you Great-West Life. Another insurer paid it without any question. Great-West Life is the terrible and worst insurance company ever.

They take months to approve something that you are entitled to receive. You have to be persistent otherwise they won't pay anything. My husband works with another insurance company and comparing with this one is away better, they are faster and they don't play games like great west. Really bad company!