CIGNA PPO is a big turd as far as I'm concerned.

I left a union job back in 2000 and did not realize how fantastic my benefits were. Just by paying $11.40 a week union dues, my 2 children and I had Personal Choice BC/BS, and I only had to pay $5 for office visits and for generic drugs, and only 10% co-insurance for hospital treatments. NO DEDUCTIBLE. Everything covered -- eye, dental, mental.

Have things changed so much in the past 3 years that the above scenario does not exist anymore?

My current employer forced everyone to switch to CIGNA PPO (NO HMO available). The Dr. I like doesn't even accept it. It is $90 a month for me alone, with a $300 yearly deductible, $15 dr. visits, and 20% co-insurance for hospital. As for my kids -- they are on CHIP now!!!!!!!! Free!!!!!!

You have a very good plan.

My previous employer (who I keep in close contact with) just had to switch plans again. The new plan is this:

$25 OV, $40 specialist, $10 generic / $25 formulary / $40 non-form. $500 ded., 20% co-pay, and this is in-network. He's a physician, and say's that this is actually considered a fairly good plan for the area.

He has to pay $340 per employee for the insurance, and $850 per family (that's / month).

CIGNA PPO is a big turd as far as I'm concerned.

I left a union job back in 2000 and did not realize how fantastic my benefits were. Just by paying $11.40 a week union dues, my 2 children and I had Personal Choice BC/BS, and I only had to pay $5 for office visits and for generic drugs, and only 10% co-insurance for hospital treatments. NO DEDUCTIBLE. Everything covered -- eye, dental, mental.

Have things changed so much in the past 3 years that the above scenario does not exist anymore?

My current employer forced everyone to switch to CIGNA PPO (NO HMO available). The Dr. I like doesn't even accept it. It is $90 a month for me alone, with a $300 yearly deductible, $15 dr. visits, and 20% co-insurance for hospital. As for my kids -- they are on CHIP now!!!!!!!! Free!!!!!!

We have Cigna PPO from my husband's employer and the really do suck. It takes months to get claims settled and they lie saying they never received the claims even though the Drs. office faxes the info to them several times. It's so aggravating. We pay $20 for office visits, specialists are more. The cost of RX's is terrible. It makes me feel guilty that I have to take several meds. The only other option available to us was Kaiser HMO and neither one of us wanted them.

I have CIGNA PPO too and you're right, it's the worst! I pay $240.00 a month for myself and my spouse. People with kids were raised to $400.00 a month. Our deductible is now $1000.00 and instead of 80/20 it's now 70/30. I take two medications and it costs $75.00 a month for co-pay. My claims are "lost" all the time and the rest of the time they are screwed up. I sent in a claim and highlighted and circled in red that it was paid in full by me at time of visit. CIGNA sent the check to the doctor. I had blood work done at New York University Medical Center last week and they posted a big sign stating that they will accept CIGNA PPO but will no longer accept HMO or POS. I asked the billing clerk why and he said, "because they suck!!!".

I have CIGNA PPO too and you're right, it's the worst! I pay $240.00 a month for myself and my spouse. People with kids were raised to $400.00 a month. Our deductible is now $1000.00 and instead of 80/20 it's now 70/30. I take two medications and it costs $75.00 a month for co-pay. My claims are "lost" all the time and the rest of the time they are screwed up. I sent in a claim and highlighted and circled in red that it was paid in full by me at time of visit. CIGNA sent the check to the doctor. I had blood work done at New York University Medical Center last week and they posted a big sign stating that they will accept CIGNA PPO but will no longer accept HMO or POS. I asked the billing clerk why and he said, "because they suck!!!".

Hi. I'm sorry you have the same aggravation with Cigna that we do. I wish I'd win the lottery so I wouldn't have to deal with insurance cos. ever again. I've heard that Blue Cross/Blue Shield is bad too. I just love it when they reimburse the Dr. after we've already paid and then we have to call the Drs. office 50 times in order to get reimbursed from them!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree.....Cigna refused to cover my flue shot, even though I'm in a high risk category because they said the doctor's diagnosis was obesity. I was not being treated for obesity, but for my HBP, mild depression and bad lungs. They also refused to pay a claim because the original claim was "lost" and when it was resubmitted, the Dr.s middle initial was in lowercase, while the first one was in uppercase. Now they're questioning the claim because they think it's two separate doctors. These are just the recent problems. I haven't even begun to fight these yet...I get the feeling i'm in for a long ride on that Cigna rollercoaster!

I would give anything in the world to have a health insurance I didn't have to fight with at least once a week.
Sue

They are probably being told by managment to delay claims as long as possible to delay having to make payments. I'm sure some people just give up or forget about the claims.
I know how you feel about insurance! I have been seriously thinking about moving to Canada. Some of my family have already gone and retired early with free medical treatment. I never thought I would consider leaving this country, but it's getting too expensive even with insurance. :(

I know what you mean about moving to Canada. My DH and I used to joke about it, but now my thoughts are turning serious. My youngest son can't get speech therapy because Cigna is refusing to acknowledge that his problem is in fact neurological instead of developmental, and my other son is soon to be tested for sleep apnea...if he has it, then the C-pap monitor is not covered, nor any followup visits.

If anyone reading this thread works for Cigna, my comments are NOT aimed at you and I apologize if you've taken offense. It's actually the US Healthcare industry as a whole. I'm sure Cigna is just one of many poor plans.

Canada is looking really good right now...too bad I don't like the cold! :p
Sue

cigna sucks very bad , my hospital bills harmed my credit when cigna took over one YEAR to pay, they wereflat out horible to me , all the bills had gone into collection and im not even sure every one got payed

Our health insurance is going to be changing because my husband's company is being acquired by another company in the next few months. I just hope that the health insurance we get isn't any worse than CIGNA. They took a year to pay for one of my surgeries, and refused to pay for the anesthesia because 'it wasn't necessary!!!" I'd like to see one of them go through sinus surgery and reconstruction without anesthesia.

CIGNA is clearly engaged in a deliberate scheme to deny all claims and delay paying them for as long as possible. They routinely deny claims as "not meeting deductible" when the charge was from a Preferrered Provider (and of course not subject to the deductible) then call it "human error". They routinely deny claims for "lack of diagnosis code" when the diagnosis code is clearly marked on the claim, and call it "human error".

Questioning a claim denial takes a minimum of 20 minutes in voice mail hell on the phone. Lord help you if you ask to speak to a supervisor, you are routinely kept on hold for 15 to 20 minutes to further discourage the claim process. I suspect this is quite effective for small monetary claims because they make it so ridiculous it is not worth your time.

CINGA PPO is the absolute worst insurance company I've ever dealt with.

I have become very upset with Cigna. I feel that the whole healthcare situation in America is in a terrible state. I believe that Cigna is all about making money and not about providing good healthcare to its members. Currently I am doing research into the sorry state of the USA's Helathcare system and it is very scary. Thanks for giving me this forum to post my thoughts.

I have become very upset with Cigna. I feel that the whole healthcare situation in America is in a terrible state. I believe that Cigna is all about making money and not about providing good healthcare to its members. Currently I am doing research into the sorry state of the USA's Helathcare system and it is very scary. Thanks for giving me this forum to post my thoughts.

We're still trying to get Cigna to pay for my PT from last summer. They keep saying that the PT is not "in-network" when he clearly is. I'm so aggravated with them. Both my husband and I have called them and so has the billing dept. from the PT office. I hate them too and wish I could afford to pay for a better insurance plan myself!!!!!