Sydney Health Reviews

by Sheepiegirlie

Literally I’ve had to call their hotline so many times and get new passwords because even with two factor login I just get a “we encountered a problem” message and it usually only works for like one login after I wait on their hotline etc and then the next day it’s the same story. There is no explanation and I keep getting locked out. They always changed my password and even the correct one doesn’t work. How can I pay my bill because by the way their website is also garbage and just looks like an html error page from geo cities in 1997.

At least there should be an online way to reset but no it’s just a phone number and you get to be on hold and then it never works anyway. I don’t even see how it’s possible for it to be this bad.

by Holiday1328

Update-took away a star considering the dashboard does NOT update like it should. I sent an email to the SydneyAnthem email. I have stayed at 5 days of 5k steps for an extra two days despite doing over 5k today & yesterday. I login each night to sync the information. The steps update but the badge info still shows the same number… Please…please…please…move the dashboard to its own app!! It’s a great app, but I think it would be nice to have the health dashboard part on its own app. I think having it combined with insurance claims/benefits information overloads it to a degree. Not sure if that has lead to an issue where paper EOBs have gone out despite the fact I have been set to paperless for several years…which unfortunately lead to a financial penalty for paper. There also is not an option on the login of remember my username/password which does not allow for touch ID to be used.

by No Way My Name Is Gone

I am very upset by the service I received from Sydney Health! I used the “text a doctor” service, because it seemed like a great option after my 2 sons were diagnosed with bronchitis by their pediatrician, and I had developed the same symptoms. It seemed like the perfect alternative to finding a babysitter for my sick babies so I could go to the doctor myself. It was not! It was a complete waste of time and money! I spoke with 2 different doctors that both ignored my concerns and gave generic, yet conflicting, answers. After I googled the doctors, I saw that many people had the same experiences! I was very disappointed by the arrogance of these doctors! In addition, I found it very difficult to express my complaint through my Sydney Health account, and was refused a refund even though the last doctor I spoke with told me to go to an urgent care and that she could not help me.

by Patrick McCusker

Tried using the chat with a doctor feature a few weeks back. The robot asks a bunch of questions, asks for your credit card information, then directs you into a meaningless void where nothing takes place or crashes, sometimes both. Then the process repeats. For maximum fun, it charged me for the privilege of being angry at a robot while trying to find healthcare. I called Anthem for support and I am now on call number 2, over an hour in, 2 ish hours combined between 4 people in 3 different departments and we have yet to agree on whether the Sydney app can charge patients in the first place. Does Anthem know they have an app? If so, the people answering the phone to help troubleshoot/refund for SydneyHealth not working should: A: know how SydneyHealth works, B: know how to handle customer service calls for SydneyHealth , C: know they have an app called Sydney that can charge patients for “services”. I honestly would have chalked this up to “company started a tech initiative they can’t/don’t know how to support” thing all healthcare providers are up to these days if the customer service wasn’t sooooooooo baaaaad. Don’t use it if you can avoid it. Would probably be easier to communicate with Anthem via messenger pigeon or *insert outmoded communication method here*.

by BipolarPrincess

When I first got my new insurance I logged into my insurance site and there was a big banner with a link to download Sydney Health. I clicked it and logged in about four times over the first week. Then all of a sudden this message “something went wrong” kept popping up. So I called the number from the message (just over 1hr on the phone) and they said they would look into it. They messaged me and said I shouldn’t have access based on what they found. Just on a whim I checked the login and lo and behold I had access again. Color me confused but I was happy because I had an upcoming dr appointment and needed the access because I misplaced my insurance card. Day of appointment came and I went to log in and again “something went wrong”. Why can’t I access something that I was directed to and understood was part of my insurance benefits/features. Such a headache.

by Splme2

App Doesn’t provide the most basic info like nearby pharmacies in network (defaults to 50 miles - this is hardly nearby to anything. In my area I probably have 50 pharmacies within 3-5 miles but SydneyHealth shows up with “doh we can’t find anything”) Hides basic usability items such as enter on login and has too much of their own pictures and content prioritized over the user’s basic questions. If you hit one of those screens you can’t get out and have to close and reopen and login again. Anyway tried using it two years ago and haven’t since but this latest update is, once again, a complete waste of my time - making any current symptoms worse. SydneyHealth is not good for my health. Anthem’s online services are not good for my health. But obviously they are not a healthcare provider- they are an insurance company. That’s two different things

by Bway Guy

You get 1 star for three reasons: 1) Why on God’s green earth are you called “Sydney Health” when we are Anthem members in Los Angeles?!?! To get the Anthem app loaded, I had to first figure out that you were called some random name that seems to have ZERO connection to your branding that I’ve ever heard of? Fire the person that decided that idiocy! 2) Fire SydneyHealth Developer that FAILED to realize that a LOT of us use our iPad’s for dealing with these kinds of apps, as many of these apps require a LOT of typing - and it’s FAR easier to use the iPad connected to its keyboard. Instead, you idiots have created an app that will NOT change orientation, so it is UNUSABLE with an iPad. So you would get ZERO stars for that! 3) you offer virtual visits, great. BUT your app and your virtual “help” will NOT tell us what the pricing will be on scheduling a virtual visit. Nor does it have any clue what we are asking for when searching for any variation of “what is cost/copay for virtual doctor visit”. Ridiculous. Useless app. Fire the lot of you!

by CLRV99

I’m not really interested in talking to SydneyHealth. Yes I can see my insurance card and my current medical claims but I cannot see anything about my dental plan at all. The old app used to have both my medical and dental information. It provides the plan benefits but not the actual claims. We used it for dental so I know it should show up there by now. Also, when I search for care and cost finder, my dentist doesn’t even show up. I was just trying to find her information and I found her before on the old app but now it’s no results found.

Also, I have something like a stipend that my job gives me and the old app used to show this and SydneyHealth doesn’t show it. I get a lot of contact the hotline messages over information I had access to with the old app. I’d prefer to use the old app. I might as well just use the actual card and call the number since that’s what it tells me anyway. I hope SydneyHealth improves.

by Dboyes99

It’s nice that Anthem is trying new ideas, but this is one of the worst user interfaces I’ve ever seen, and it’s very frustrating to use or guess what to do next.

First, I have no interest in having a conversation with an app. There are a strictly limited number of things SydneyHealth needs to do: show me my ID card, show me my claims and pharmacy info, show me what I owe and give me a way to pay it without switching to another app, and request a callback to handle anything more complicated. KISS design needs 4 buttons to do the above. The ID card function needs to store the card locally so you don’t have to be constantly connected to show some office admin your current insurance info. This version makes me guess what a not very well trained AI is looking for and then have an extended discussion with SydneyHealth to get any useful information while you’re standing at a window.

Suggestion for developers: make a point to stand on one leg with crutches and no weight allowed on the other foot, or put your arm in a sling with nothing to hang onto while trying to find your ID card without assistance; you’ll get the picture quickly why that SydneyHealth is not an improvement.
Automatic fail if you fall or unbalance yourself - and then we’ll talk.

The previous version was simple to operate and it worked far better. I’ll use this one since I’m forced to, but you need to rethink the design.

by SeriouslyStuck21

SydneyHealth seems nice BUT I am having a great deal of difficulty with figuring out how to deposit money into the HSA account. I added my bank account to SydneyHealth several days ago. I have not been able to figure out how to validate the bank account from within SydneyHealth . I gave up and verified my bank account by going to the actual website. Unfortunately, that still didn’t help inside SydneyHealth . SydneyHealth keeps telling me that I need to add an account however it won’t let me use the same account (because I have already added it). The only thing the cute little seal (Sidney) does is put me back on the same app page. It does not give me any additional information or help and apparently no people are available to chat with except during business hours when I have to work. This is not helpful!!

by Hadhighhopes898

I loved the Anthem website and used it all the time for Bill Pay with my HSA account. I downloaded SydneyHealth and now it has taken 3 calls to Customer Service to get this basic task done. I needed to ‘pay myself’ with my HSA to resolve a balance this week with a provider so I can have a procedure done. I went through the normal steps on Friday January 10th. I log in yesterday and it says it was denied although I had more than enough in there. I tried it again, same transaction. Got all the way to the end screen saying “submitted”. Checked back about an hour later (typically when I do this, it takes the funds out of my balance within seconds), funds were all still there. I look in pending transactions and my recent bill pay submission isn’t there. I waited and checked back today- it’s like it never happened. SydneyHealth allows you to go all the way to the submit screen, submit it, tells you you’re all set, but meanwhile is doing absolutely nothing. I called customer service and they were dumbfounded, telling me “oh if it said you submitted it then you did but I don’t see it here. Can you do it on the phone with me now? It should show up in real time.”
I go through all of the steps for a third time, nothing shows up. No pending transaction. I have no HSA card or time to wait for one to be sent so I may have to move my procedure because of this weird glitch where it won’t let me do a basic task.

by LauraLaine02

SydneyHealth it doesn't have details on coverage. You can't find out exactly what is it or is not covered, the amount of coinsurance and co-pays etc. You have to instead go to the full website to get that information. I wish SydneyHealth had everything and I didn't have to visit the full website so frequently. Also, when searching for care through SydneyHealth it does tell you who is in network but it does not tell you if they require a referral or a prior authorization. Again you have to go to the full website to get that information. I found this out the hard way when I found an acupuncturist through SydneyHealth , after my appointment and she told me that her service was not covered by my insurance. I thought that was strange because I had found her through SydneyHealth , but come to find out I need prior authorization to do acupuncture. I think this could be improved.

by Tontib

So far it’s a pretty decent app. It’s nice using the health dashboard and getting little tips on health and fitness. And being rewarded for being active and healthy as well. The reason I gave it 4 starts is because there is a feature where you can speak with a doctor over video chat, but every time I tried using the link to connect to one it would not work. Luckily I was able to see a doctor the next day, but with kids and the longer waiting time it takes to see doctors lately, it would have been very nice to have had access to video chatting with a doctor online. So hopefully in the future that feature of SydneyHealth with be fixed and able for me to use if needed.

by Hokieinotown

SydneyHealth is pretty handy and intuitive. One thing that was quite confusing early on however was we downloaded SydneyHealth as soon as we received our insurance cards in the mail (a few weeks prior to our coverage starting). It showed our insurance card in SydneyHealth and it seemed normal, however whenever I would search for ANY type of provider it showed there were none in my network. After a considerable effort spent by myself and my coworkers, we discovered that the search worked fine if we did it from the website. Ultimately it turned out that SydneyHealth would not work prior to our coverage starting. It was quite frustrating and wish either SydneyHealth would be updated or, at a minimum, the paperwork would’ve told us not to use SydneyHealth until the first day of coverage.

by Firebane25

I have used SydneyHealth ever since its launch, and on the whole it’s very handy. Having a digital ID on hand and quick access to my HSA details are really appreciated, and while it occasionally has some server hiccups that manifest in blank screens and errors, most of the time it has suited my needs and gotten the job done.

The developers are actively improving SydneyHealth regularly, as well — my original review was pretty scathing, but they reached out to me shortly after and informed me that the technical issues I had faced had been solved, and indeed they have been. If you have Anthem coverage, this is a nice utility to have on your phone.

by JAHO2011

Screen rotation - Not supported. Only portrait mode. Not good when using a keyboard.

Login screen - I need to context switch to pick up name and password from my pwd manager. Tool prevents context switching from keyboard (cmd+tab). When context switching with home button, SydneyHealth deletes anything typed into name and password fields. This forces me to type name and password, which is not at all secure, as people can see what you are typing if you are in public.

Plan Usage Screen - Some silly little symbol (Sydney ?) on lower right corner of screen is covering the last entry under Claims.

Plan Usage Screen - Claims Screen - Lack of useful information. There are $ amounts with no description.

Context Switching away from SydneyHealth for a couple seconds results in a forced-logged out.

Buttons pop up in arbitrary and inconsistent places. For example, I had an error messages appear at bottom of screen. To cancel out of it and make any forward progress, I had to hit a little cancel button that appears at the top/center of the screen. What is this Whack-a-mole ?

The web site works better.

by Sydney Health App

I am completely frustrated with the Sydney Health App. SydneyHealth downloads to my Iphone and tries to open when I click in it;however it will not open so I can login to my account. I contacted Anthem and was advised to delete SydneyHealth and reinstall it. I have installed, deleted and reinstalled SydneyHealth several times and it still will not load or open. P.S. I do not have any type of issues with any other apps I download to my Iphone which is a clear indicator that there is a problem with the Sydney app not my Iphone! It would be nice if someone could fix this bug so I will be able to fully utilize all my Anthem benefits.

by Jgmac68

SydneyHealth has been buggy since I switched over to it. Today, while in the ER, I couldn’t access the card (I couldn’t find my physical card - I’ve never lost a card ever (I’m 51)) and had to call a family member to scan and send a photo of their card.

Update: just tried again and got an error message reference #NHMNYMCD, app version 1.012.

I manage software development teams (Agile) in my company and I know the type of business/user testing required before an app or version is released. I’m assuming that an update in soon to be released. If not, this would be a hard fail.

by B..f.

SydneyHealth is easy to navigate. I haven’t tried calling any offices to confirm they are in fact in-network; when I do, if there are inaccuracies I’ll revisit this review. One helpful category I wish SydneyHealth listed is the medical center for which each doctor works. For example, my group of doctors are all under Sutter Health; my records, appoints, after-care summaries, medications, etc. are kept in MyHealth app making it easy for me and my different doctors to see and review. It would be a dream if, when looking for a new doctor, SydneyHealth listed whether they were in-network and Sutter Health providers. I really appreciate this list of care providers in my network, though, especially therapists, which have tedious to find in my experience.

by JMATT79

Sydney Health is an upgrade to the Anthem Anywhere App. It’s streamlined and interactive. It can be used at home or on-the-go and with the cute little Sydney interactive helper it makes SydneyHealth kind of fun to use too. Anthem BCBS has definitely taken consumer feedback and improved their product. If your plan comes with pharmacy then the pharmacy is right there and you can order your scripts through SydneyHealth as well as set up your auto refill/auto pay. You can save your payment information, view and print your ID card as well as fax or email a copy of your card to your doctor’s office BEFORE you arrive for your appointment. Finding a doctor is easy, searching claims is easy as well as keeping track of your deductible and out of pocket totals for the year. It’s got everything. I highly recommend SydneyHealth .

by Crater1

Opened my Anthem app today and got a message that “Anthem Anywhere is closing down”. To continue accessing your account download Sydney Health. There was even a link to download. BUT, it took me to the Apple App Store where there is no iPad version.

So, if I understand what they’re saying, we are discontinuing access to your account via our old app that works on the iPad while at the same time not making it available via the new app. WHAT? Who’s the brainchild behind this plan?

I’ve read a couple reviews about this issue but I’ve not yet seen a reply saying if or when an iPad version will be available. Instead of a straight answer it goes something like this, Q Are you going to release an iPad version? A Thanks for your comment. We plan to update app frequently and continue to add new features and robust experience. We appreciate you feedback. THAT’S NOT AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION!

ONE MORE TIME: Are you going to release an iPad version and when?

by Jquinan

It’s remarkable that an inoperable app is on SydneyHealth Store and available for download. Sort SydneyHealth’s reviews for most recent and it’s just a continuous list of one star reviews (can’t give a zero star rating). So, SydneyHealth should be removed from SydneyHealth store, some “knowledgeable” developers should fix it, test it, then fix it again, then test it until it functions just even a bit. Don’t publish something that’s broken. If this was an automobile, it would have exploded before it even got off the showroom floor!

by Tthomas20010

with the start of the new year, i was updating my cards. 1 - Received an email saying that i would not get a physical card. i had to print one out from the site. 2- Downloaded the new app and tried to log in. I was told my plan does not work with SydneyHealth . You will have to manage everything online. IOS 13 for reference. 3- I go back to the old app and i am reminded you are sunsetting it. Suggestion - Make sure all plans work on the new app. Also customer service could not help with the issue.

by Bob-G.

So far all I’ve used this new Sydney app for is the Price a Medication feature and I’m not impressed. Much of the time it doesn’t work, and when it does work it only loads a couple of pharmacies in the results. To add more pharmacies to the list to compare them, you have to search, which takes a very long time to load, and then you can only add a single pharmacy to the comparison list at a time, which requires you to search again before you can add another pharmacy to the comparison list. This is a poorly designed feature that I find completely unhelpful.

by Jeana007

Well the most scariest part of healthcare is switching to a new insurance. I have downloaded SydneyHealth completed registration in its entirety and I continue to have many issues with it. I need to switch PCP and I got an SSO login failed. Not sure if these apps are layered to continuous re-registration but it certainly needs improvement for newcomers into Anthem Blue Cross. I’m tech saavy so I don’t know if am missing something?? In the Sydney app I keep getting pop-ups of not being in recognized in the system. SydneyHealth needs major improvement. It doesn’t provide a tab for finding/selecting a provider??? 😐 Am giving Anthem a year as my healthcare insurance carrier then I’m out! I hope 🤞 I won’t regret to live a huge disappointment medically this year(2020) 😩😣🙄

by Clelldeaver

Someone referred to SydneyHealth’s 5-star reviews as “astroturfing.” I wasn’t familiar with the term, the definition seems very applicable to SydneyHealth. There is no way SydneyHealth could have received so many legitimate 5-star ratings right out of the gate (many of which were curiously grouped largely during the period from Aug 30 to Sept 3). Then the tone changes during Oct-Dec where 1-star ratings are much more common than any others. Was SydneyHealth even beta-tested? The standard response from the developers is “we will continue to release upgrades frequently to provide users with an even more robust and enjoyable user experience” followed by “please provide us with specific examples of problems you experienced so that we can address them.” That really should not be necessary. Users should not be forced to serve as beta-testers; that should be done pre-release.

by Stevo000

First of all SydneyHealth is not available for iPad. Why?
Second, when I search for providers I get a blank page. In the past with your Anthem app had providers listed as in network who were out of network. Why? There is no breakdown anywhere that tells me what services I can get. For example- Vision services what’s covered? Eye exam once a year? Twice? Lens amount covered? Chiropractic- how many visits per year? What’s my co-pay? I’m left guessing and having to call to get answers that I should get from this useless app.

by John Soultrane

Anthem/Blue cross offers incentives to be healthy and active through SydneyHealth. I have an Apple Watch and use the health app and it won’t sync my data. I have installed and reinstalled SydneyHealth several times. Clicking on app support doesn’t really help - just takes you to the help section for insurance coverage. My company recently switched to this from Humana and I miss it. Their app worked with the Health app. I can’t take advantage of this incentive program because of it and feel like I’m losing out.

by Sam_mcguire

I saw a lot of 1 star reviews with some serious hate for SydneyHealth which made me nervous. The old app I was using is gone and a message popped up saying I had to switch to this one, which is the only issue I had at all. Once I downloaded it, things worked at least as good as before and I was able to do all of my normal tasks in SydneyHealth . It didn’t crash. It was pretty quick. Nothing seemed off. So either SydneyHealth was fixed or the negative reviews have some grudge. I am a college professor and don’t work for the company and I have zero invested in SydneyHealth . I just want to make sure an honest review gets posted.

by Inndem

Really great job! This is WAY better than the old Empire BCBS app! Consolidating the BCBSs under one app is a great move - easier for patients, and it's easier and more efficient for you to provide a unified user experience! It's snappy, visually appealing, easy to use and to navigate. Sydney is still a little limited in dialog options - she doesn't recognize/ know how to respond to things like "thanks" yet, but I'm sure she'll get there eventually 😉

by Deleting-it

Finally a health plan company that is trying to reinvent with the customer in mind. What I really like is the navigation free approach. Rather than having to wade through endless navigation I get to just type what I want and it brings the information to me in a clean and user friendly way. This is a huge first step in the right direction….THANK YOU!!!

by @loveSydney

Awesome app with all my information in one app - from “Claims (both doctor and pharmacy)” to “membership ID card” to “Find a doctor”, etc.
Very easy to navigate. I asked a question about finding my Id Card, and it pulled that information for me instead of me manually navigating through SydneyHealth . Very intuitive!

by Insaineyesay

This improved app is MUCH smoother, snappier, and native feeling over the previous app. The colors are nice and the new chat feature is actually kind of awesome. I imagine new learning capabilities and responses will come from that AI in the releases to come. Now I can just type what I want to do in the chat rather than pressing buttons, looking everywhere to find it. Really cool.
The development team at anthem has stepped it up BIG time. Great job! I’ll admit I’m looking forward to all of the new features and integrations that will be coming in the future.
Again. Great job Anthem.

by Inuklook

As a member using both the old app ... and now the new version renamed “Sydney” it is hard to really make a comparison. Everything is just sooo muuuuch beettter. Sydney looks cool, the speed to show screens is better, and the new features are great. I can’t wait to see what comes next. Super improvements.