Cigna Questions

[Jim1967 3,569]

I've been wondering about that. Several people on here don't seem to have trouble, but the nurses tell me it's EVERY Cigna patient. They told me that back in March when I started this journey. I wonder why it's different for them? Do you know if your doctors office sent Cigna a preliminary date when they submitted you? Maybe that's it.

They contacted Cigna and submitted the date along with documentation all in one shot. Surgeon staff and I discussed a date on one day and then the next Cigna denied us for missing documentation and they had my birthdate wrong. I was approved the very next day after that was all straightened out. Basically, Cigna did not have a date beforehand. It was included in the initial request for coverage.

It all happened so fast....

[Jellyfish 17]

I'm with True Results and although I have been 100% happy with them so far, they do not do preliminary surgery dates (I suspect they just have too many people to do that). You don't get to schedule until after you get insurance approval. This makes me think that the only way to get Cigna to look at your paperwork faster than they legally have to is to have a preliminary date sent in by your surgeon, just like the one rep told me. Might be good information for anyone who's trying to get approved through Cigna in the future. Now I'm curious as to whether anyone's had a different experience. I'll have to poke around some more, hmm...

[brlgirl 112]

I have Cigna and got so frustrated after years of diets that I gave up and went with "True Results". I am having to pay for about 1/2 of the procedure, but it was worth it to not have the stress and the depression after being told yet again that I had failed another diet plan. I really hate that insurance companies don't understand that we have tried weight loss programs and have not been successful. We want help and then they make it so darn difficult. UGH!!!

Good luck to you on this journey!!!!

[Jim1967 3,569]

I am not siding with insurance companies but I understand them not freely approving people without the person proving they are commited to the life style change. 14k for my overnight hospital stay and 5k for the surgeon and another 1.5k for anesthesia. If a person is not commited then it's a waste. Health care costs are out of control as it is. Giving away surgey approvals like a bank giving away pens is unrealistic..

I had to do the 6month diet for Cigna and I would do it all over again. Fact that they changed from 6 months to 3 is great progress.