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Health Insurance Question

vlagrl35vlagrl35 member
500 Comments 100 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper
edited November 2016 in Money Matters
Do any of you have Cigna as your health insurance provider?  They are new to the marketplace this year.  We've been with Blue Cross this past year.  Went into the office last week and found out the plan that will work for us is going up in premium $180 from what we are paying now.  Cinga has a plan we are contemplating.  I'm so nervous about switching though.  We have been very pleased with BCBS and have had zero headaches with them.  I've found and OB I like and if we get pregnant by April of 2017 then we will be using maternity benefits.  Just curious if any of you have been on it and what your thoughts are good or bad?
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Re: Health Insurance Question

  • julieanne912julieanne912 member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Love Its 500 Comments Name Dropper
    H has them and he has no complaints.  Now, obviously he's not using them for OB services, but he does go through them for all of his Crohn's treatments, and he never has any issues with all of that.  And, in our area, there are lots of Cigna affiliated hospitals.  
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  • als1982als1982 member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited November 2016
    I can speak to the company, Cigna, but your plan will be different than mine and thus your experience and benefits different.  It's not my current insurer, but they were a few years back (through work).  My employer is a healthcare provider (Childrens Mercy) so it's my assumption that they wouldn't contract with company that wasn't reputable.
    HeartlandHustle | Personal Finance and Betterment Blog  
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  • FutureMrsMeratiFutureMrsMerati member
    Third Anniversary 25 Love Its 10 Comments Name Dropper
    edited November 2016
    I have had several Cigna policies and both are very different because of the elections the companies I worked for made. It's really at the company's discretion which can range widely from policy to policy. If you have any physicians you know you need to retain like your OB, your best bet is to call to verify they accept Cigna. Then review the cost and coverage options and compare it to that of your current policy.
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  • vlagrl35vlagrl35 member
    500 Comments 100 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper
    Well this is thru the marketplace so its been a bit confusing for me and my patience with insurance companies is non existent since our issue with coventry.  I know the hospital close by (my back up hospital) is not in the plan.  Put a call in to my OBs billing dept today.  She's the one I don't really want to switch up.  Talking to Cigna yesterday I was getting frustrated because they kept telling me there are no cigna plans in our area.  I got transfered a few times and eventually talked to someone in their exchanges dept.  Asked him if he could check my providers for me and he told me to just go to the marketplace website and that should tell me.  Anyways I talked to DH about it last night and he is going to Call cigna probably tomorrow and chat with them....he says if he has the experience I did then we will just stay with blue cross even with the rate increase.
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  • als1982als1982 member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    vlagrl35 said:
    Well this is thru the marketplace so its been a bit confusing for me and my patience with insurance companies is non existent since our issue with coventry.  I know the hospital close by (my back up hospital) is not in the plan.  Put a call in to my OBs billing dept today.  She's the one I don't really want to switch up.  Talking to Cigna yesterday I was getting frustrated because they kept telling me there are no cigna plans in our area.  I got transfered a few times and eventually talked to someone in their exchanges dept.  Asked him if he could check my providers for me and he told me to just go to the marketplace website and that should tell me.  Anyways I talked to DH about it last night and he is going to Call cigna probably tomorrow and chat with them....he says if he has the experience I did then we will just stay with blue cross even with the rate increase.
    Is your back up hospital North Kansas City?  
    HeartlandHustle | Personal Finance and Betterment Blog  
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  • vlagrl35vlagrl35 member
    500 Comments 100 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper
    als1982 said:
    vlagrl35 said:
    Well this is thru the marketplace so its been a bit confusing for me and my patience with insurance companies is non existent since our issue with coventry.  I know the hospital close by (my back up hospital) is not in the plan.  Put a call in to my OBs billing dept today.  She's the one I don't really want to switch up.  Talking to Cigna yesterday I was getting frustrated because they kept telling me there are no cigna plans in our area.  I got transfered a few times and eventually talked to someone in their exchanges dept.  Asked him if he could check my providers for me and he told me to just go to the marketplace website and that should tell me.  Anyways I talked to DH about it last night and he is going to Call cigna probably tomorrow and chat with them....he says if he has the experience I did then we will just stay with blue cross even with the rate increase.
    Is your back up hospital North Kansas City?  
    No, Liberty - its a 15 ish minute drive from our house.  I had an umbilical hernia repaired at Liberty a few years ago and I was very happy with their services.  The way I see it I could go without proverbs if I get pregnant but I have to have liberty because they do vbacs.  I am not sure if NKC does.  who knows whats going to happen though.  I just like to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
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  • kmurphy2131kmurphy2131 member
    Fourth Anniversary 100 Love Its 100 Comments Name Dropper
    No experience as a patient, but as a provider I know that we had some weird stuff at my last clinic where we were in network with some cigna plans but not others.  I think they are notorious for odd contracts with providers.  Which wouldn't stop me from choosing them, but I would be super careful about verifying innetwork providers
    Report Reply
  • als1982als1982 member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    vlagrl35 said:
    als1982 said:
    vlagrl35 said:
    Well this is thru the marketplace so its been a bit confusing for me and my patience with insurance companies is non existent since our issue with coventry.  I know the hospital close by (my back up hospital) is not in the plan.  Put a call in to my OBs billing dept today.  She's the one I don't really want to switch up.  Talking to Cigna yesterday I was getting frustrated because they kept telling me there are no cigna plans in our area.  I got transfered a few times and eventually talked to someone in their exchanges dept.  Asked him if he could check my providers for me and he told me to just go to the marketplace website and that should tell me.  Anyways I talked to DH about it last night and he is going to Call cigna probably tomorrow and chat with them....he says if he has the experience I did then we will just stay with blue cross even with the rate increase.
    Is your back up hospital North Kansas City?  
    No, Liberty - its a 15 ish minute drive from our house.  I had an umbilical hernia repaired at Liberty a few years ago and I was very happy with their services.  The way I see it I could go without proverbs if I get pregnant but I have to have liberty because they do vbacs.  I am not sure if NKC does.  who knows whats going to happen though.  I just like to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
    Gotcha.  I've heard that the northland hospitals are a hot mess because they're not part of a hospital conglomerate and have had issues with their city funding.  
    HeartlandHustle | Personal Finance and Betterment Blog  
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  • vlagrl35vlagrl35 member
    500 Comments 100 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper
    kmurphy2131 said:
    No experience as a patient, but as a provider I know that we had some weird stuff at my last clinic where we were in network with some cigna plans but not others.  I think they are notorious for odd contracts with providers.  Which wouldn't stop me from choosing them, but I would be super careful about verifying innetwork providers
    Yeah that's what makes me nervous about switching.  I have my preferred docs and hospitals.  Nothing wrong with NKC hospital but I know Liberty is much better.
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  • vlagrl35vlagrl35 member
    500 Comments 100 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper
    On the plus side I found out that I can get my progesterone tested at my Chiros office for the fraction of the price cause it won't be thru insurance.  My insurance doesn't cover anything fertility related - regarding testing.
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  • kmurphy2131kmurphy2131 member
    Fourth Anniversary 100 Love Its 100 Comments Name Dropper
    vlagrl35 said:
    kmurphy2131 said:
    No experience as a patient, but as a provider I know that we had some weird stuff at my last clinic where we were in network with some cigna plans but not others.  I think they are notorious for odd contracts with providers.  Which wouldn't stop me from choosing them, but I would be super careful about verifying innetwork providers
    Yeah that's what makes me nervous about switching.  I have my preferred docs and hospitals.  Nothing wrong with NKC hospital but I know Liberty is much better.
    I think you just need to be super specific with the questioning.  Not just "do you accept it" but "are you in network?" "do you take cigna xxx" (if there are different names for the cigna plan)
    Report Reply
  • mmabemmabe member
    10 Comments Name Dropper 5 Love Its
    kmurphy2131 said:
    I think you just need to be super specific with the questioning.  Not just "do you accept it" but "are you in network?" "do you take cigna xxx" (if there are different names for the cigna plan)
    I learned this the hard way.  Luckily it was only for dental insurance and the out of pocket difference is not great, but I believe I asked if they accepted my insurance, but not if they are in network.  There is a huge difference.
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