Cigna Health - Chattanooga

Saved my life!

How it goes depends on whom I talk with on the phone. Usually, no problem. In my most recent contact, I called to ask about a heart monitor procedure I'd been (earlier) assured over the phone would be paid; but later, after the service was performed, I got a letter stating that they do not pay for this particular service. If I'd known that, our child wouldn't have had the treatment! My advice is to get everything written in a letter or email. Again, usually, I don't have problems with Cigna.

Overall Cigna is a good company. They are responsive and helpful with information.

They are pretty good about communication when you call them on the phone. You do not have to wait forever, you can speak to a person. They have always made sure to get my phone number in case we get disconnected and then call back if it is.

Cigna is my work-provided insurance carrier. Insurance payments have always been straightforward, the website is very useful, and it is simple to contact Cigna when needed.
I visited a emergency room while traveling,and paid the co-pay as listed on the insurance card in late July. Six weeks later, I received a letter from Cigna informing me that the hospital was out-of-network, and that the hospital had billed $80 in excess of what Cigna would pay for the services provided. The letter clearly explained to contact Cigna if the hospital billed me the excess $80, and that Cigna was working directly with the hospital to reduce that amount to the standard rate. I appreciate the fact that Cigna didn't just leave it to me to argue against the $80 bill.

Individual insurance is always tough-in that the coverage isn't always as good for the monthly expense (or so I have found). Overall I have had two good experiences with CIGNA once being through my employer and the other individual.

My husband's company changed from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield on January 1, 2012, to Cigna. Except for the fact that one of the two major hospital groups in our area, including the one in our home town, doesn't accept Cigna, we've no complaints. They pay our providers quickly and their home delivery pharmacy is superb. There's always a follow-up call to make sure the prescriptions have arrived and also email reminders when it's time for refills. They have a and quot;Keep Welland quot; program that provides information and help with weight, substance, and other issues that affect one's health, as well as a specialty newsletter for senior citizens. This is a good company.

My family as been with Cigna insurance for over 10 years. Representatives have been able to resolve any billing questions that have come about and when someone has needed to go to a new provider, there have been plenty of in-network providers to choose from. Coverage in the past has been very comprehensive.

After my hospital stay, the hospitals and providers submitted claims in the wrong order, directly to CIGNA, where they were to go to Medicare first. This was the Hospital's error.
CIGNA got all of the roviders back on track andI had no expenses form my stay.

I have not had only one problem with coverage. They do not want to cover a sleep apnea study test. I have sleep apnea, have lost 50 lbs and have not had a working machine in over one year. I obviously will need new pressure, which can only be measured with a new study. Other than that they have been punctual with coverage and payment to providers.

The upper GI went well and Cigna covered the procedure exactly as was indicated to me over the phone. The Cigna representatives are always very pleasant and helpful with any questions you have. My family has been covered by Cigna for many years and they have always been good.

I have had quite a few problems with their mail order pharmacy. Their prices for a 90-day supply are always better than any other pharmacy however, their customer service is almost non-existant
On one occassion, I never received my medication and actually ran out before they would ship a replacement. They claimed that since the package had the correct address on it that I MUST HAVE received it. The first package never did arrive.
Recently, I order a refill for a prescription and paid extra to have it delivered the next day. When it didn't come the next day or the day after, I called them and informed them that I had not received it. In spite of the fact that I had paid extra for the next day service, they were extremely reluctant to give me a refund. The medication arri ved on the fourth day after the order was placed and about three weeks later, I finally received a refund for the extra postage that I had paid for the overnight service. In spite of the extra cost, I have transferred all of my prescriptions from Cigna to Walgreens.

Cigna has been great about holding meetings to communicate and facilitate the conversion process from Anthem. I haven't experienced any billing problems so far either. However, I live more than an hour from work, in a very rural area in the Northern Neck region of Virginia and providers that will accept Cigna at home are few and far between. I have been told by health care providers close to home that this is because the amount Cigna will pay for services is far less than Anthem, placing a hardship on providers. I haven't been able to verify that, but I do know that I had to pay out of pocket for my daughter's eye exam and glasses because her longtime optometrist doesn't accept Cigna. Our family practice doctor does accept Cigna and we have encountered no problems there. My employer uses a separate provider for dental coverage. I understand that my employer went with Cigna because of their reduced cost for the city. However, the reduced cost comes at a price for those of us who live in outlying rural areas, rather than in the city. I would like to see Cigna try to work with some of the more rural providers to get them signed up.

The premiums are great. This is a supplemental insurance with Medicare. Coverage is great and out of pocket expenses are minimal. When calling customer service a live person actually speaks with you and not a long waiting time.

This insurance carrier is a work sponsored plan. The coverage is good as it is typical health plus eye, chiropractic, dental and prescriptions. The cost of the plan is typical for this kind of carrier but my company pays a larger than normal portion of the premiums for us.

Cigna does a great job at paying the majority of the medical bills. I am usually just left with the co-pay and possibly a small percentage of what was left. Happy with this coverage.

When I got to the Hospital, I was told that my MRI was cancelled because Cigna had disapproved the procedure.
Their standard policy on MRIs required at least six weeks of physical therapy before they would approve imaging. The fact that the MRI was being sought because physical therapy could not be performed safely apparently wasn't a factor for them bureaucratically.
I don't know how the relationship between doctors and insurance companies is managed in these sorts of cases. I don't know to what degree physicians are expected to advise insurance companies of their treatment plans in unusual cases like this where PT wasn't a safe option without imaging. Alternatively, I don't know to what extent insurance companies should rely on the professional judgment of physicians, and presume that they have good reasons for what they are doing.
Several weeks later, I was able to persuade the physician to follow up with Cigna's peer reviewers, and they approved the MRI. It was finally performed about July 8, about two months delayed. For much of that two-month period, I was substantially handicapped.

This is not a policy I would purchase on my own, nor do I think I could afford to purchase it without it being offered from my employer. I feel the premiums of $40 a week as well as the $500.00 yearly deductible for a single person put Heath insurance costs too high. I am satisfied with the choice of doctors available within the network and have never had an issue with a doctor I wanted to see not being in Cigna's network. My claims are paid relatively quickly and when I needed to dispute a claim that was denied for durable medical equipment my appeal was easy to complete and was ultimately approved and I was reimbursed. I also have my dental insurance and short and long term disability with Cigna and have never had an issue with those services although I have not needed the disability so not sure about its quality. Cigna is available by phone 24/7 although wait times can sometimes be long. The phone operators are patient and helpful with dealing with issues. I feel the quality of my coverage and the customer service of which it is offered is great however, the price for the insurance is very high. I have had in the past employee provided health insurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana and, Aetna and all of them were cheaper than my current Cigna policy and offered very similar coverage amounts. Overall, I am happy with Cigna but I just wish the total costs of the policy were more in line with the competitors.