Anyone have CIGNA health insurance? **SOLVED**

[tessiemez]

This question is budget related, but not Disney related, so I hope it's okay to post here.

Shortly after my husband and I enrolled for CIGNA Open Access health insurance, we found out I was pregnant (!!!). We're very excited, but a little worried--the insurance doesn't kick in until September. We can handle doctor's bills until it kicks in, but someone mentioned to my husband that none of my medical bills would be covered because my pregnancy is a pre-existing condition (we enrolled two weeks before I conceived, but of course since the coverage doesn't start until September ...).

Does anyone have experience with this? Does CIGNA handle pregnancy that way? I don't have a number to call them yet since I'm not officially a member, and I'm having a difficult time navigating their website to try and find answers. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Either way, we're really pleasantly surprised with this--but if CIGNA decides not to cover me, I'm guessing I'll need to cancel my Disney trip to put towards paying my hospital bills (that should cover, like, 5% of it, right? )

 

[Cindy B]

CIGNA member services/technical support services is actually really great-- if you call at 2 in the morning for a website access/password reset/server problem issue you may get my lovely DH! DH does nothing with the actual membership plans but the technical support-network access.


The open access plan is determined by the employer. Some employers utilize different options than others--one company may give different benefits than other companies with the same plan.

Mycigna.com will not work unless you have an assigned ID from the human resources dept. I don't think member services will work with you unless you have an ID in hand as well.

For your questions, I would ask the HR dept.

 

[GoodFairies]

I believe by law pregnancy cannot be considered a preexisting condition if you are merely switching insurance companies. Are you enrolling from having no insurance at all? Check with the insurance company to find out if when the insurance kicks in in September if it is retroactive to the enrollment date.

 

[dis75ney]

Did you have health insurance before the switch to Cigna? If so, and you can prove that you were covered on a previous plan, then most of the time pre-existing clauses are waived. I deal with this every time I change insurance plans, as DH is diabetic and we have to prove that he was covered prior to the switch. Most plans allow for a certain window of no coverage without smacking you with a pre-existing clause - I think the norm is 60 to 90 days, since employers usually have a certain time period before benefits kick in...

Try calling 800.244.6224 - this is Cigna's National Customer Service line. Obviously, without an ID or group number, they can't give you specifics on your policy, but they should be able to answer any general questions you have regarding a pre-existing clause...

Hope this helps!

 

[tessiemez]

A quick aside to dis75ney --

I accidentally dialed 1.800.224.6224. That is NOT a number I want to call again. I'm at home by myself and my cheeks are still a little red.

My husband and I were previously uninsured (we were so excited that with his new job we'd make enough money to get insurance, and do it comfortably!). I only had my college health plan, which isn't actual insurance.

I'm going to try calling CIGNA again. This time I'm going to dial very carefully.

 

[tessiemez]

Wow, you guys are great.

I called the number for CIGNA CSR and they were very helpful, and told me that any maternity coverage didn't fall under the pre-existing condition clause. I didn't think they'd help me since I didn't have a member number or anything but they were great.

Thanks to everyone who replied. It's one of the reasons why I love the DIS.

 

[kelleigh1]

That's great news for you. I was a bit worried as I realized you'd said you hadn't been insured previously. But being a pregnancy, I wasn't sure how it would be handled as far as the pre-existing clause.

In most cases, if you have any condition prior to enrolling in health insurance, treatment for that condition will not be covered or you'll have to wait a certain time period before it is covered. For the most part, state insurance laws dictate how it is handled.

Congrats on the pregnancy, the new job and the good news about the health insurance. Now stop stressing! The baby doesn't like it when you're stressed.