Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 19, 2024, 02:42:55 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772784
  • Total Topics: 66296
  • Online Today: 267
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 0
Guests: 197
Total: 197

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: Cigna Insurance  (Read 12662 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Peteskier

  • Member
  • Posts: 3
Cigna Insurance
« on: October 31, 2012, 11:58:40 am »
Cigna will not pay for my Atripla Tablet if I pick it up at a Pharmacy. They force me to use their Cigna Home Delivery Pharmacy.   

When I called today to refill my medicine and pay 140.00 for three months supply. The automated system first said I could not fill my perscription and I had to talk to customer service Rep who also could not help me who directed my call to a special medication pharmacy within Cigna. 

The person took my information and submitted my refill request. The person was not pleasant to talk to on the phone.  I also was told that my medicine's actual cost was 5375.40 and once they ship it via UPS that I am responsible for it.  I asked for a tracking number to be e mailed to me and the person said we don't do that you will have to call us back.  I know the actual cost of my medicine and it bothers me that they have to tell me how much the actual cost is.

I feel Cigna is discriminating against HIV policy holders by requiring them to fill their perscriptions with their Home Delivery Pharmacy.   I asked for a list of forced home delivery medicine and the list they sent me did not have Atripla listed on it at that time. Also Cigna Home Delivery Pharmacy does not bill so ADAP can not pay to help me with the copayment cost.    Has anyone else been treated like this from Cigna and where can I go for help?

Thank You
Peteskier

Offline intaglio

  • Member
  • Posts: 245
  • Doesn't have to pay for vowels
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2012, 08:26:43 am »
This may be a bit late, but it might still help you.

In Kansas where I live, the Kansas Department of Health & Environment has a Linkage to Care Coordinator. He helped me navigate my insurance and getting Medco's mail-order pharmacy to accept pharmaceutical companies' copay assistance programs.

The state you reside in should have the equivalent of this person. It may take a few calls or navigating your state government's website, but if you can find someone like this, they'll be able to help you battle Cigna on this issue.
Reality is frequently inaccurate.

Offline pozsocalguy

  • Member
  • Posts: 17
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2013, 04:25:26 am »
I hope you've gotten this taken care of by now, but I also have Cigna.


I recently switched to them and I did have to get a Pre-Auth for getting my Atripla and the doctor just let them know I'd been on it for years and that I wouldn't be changing. They did initially reject it (It's not a tier one or tier two drug for them).  It did take an extra day.

I've never been told that I had to only use their pharmacy or anything of that nature. Odd. 
I am the libertarian, atheist, lovechild of Charles Nelson Reilly and Paul Lynde. Oh, and PS....  Madonna is EVERYTHING, Everybody else is NOTHING.

Offline PiscesAries82

  • Member
  • Posts: 14
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2013, 11:54:05 pm »
Hi Peteskier,

I have Cigna insurance as well. I actually just started treatment and my specialist prescribed Atripla. I had absolutely no issues getting my prescription filled. I did have to pay a $60 copay instead of the usual $10 because it is a 3rd tier non-preferred brand. On the information sheet given to me by the pharmacy, my 30 day supply's retail price is $2503.99.

I can only assume that there are one of two reasons why you've been forced to order them through home delivery. 1) You may have a different level of insurance coverage, 2) The cost of your supply is about 2 times as much as mine.

I hope this helps.

Offline tderby

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2013, 11:39:39 pm »
Sounds like you are also stuck with Cigna's forcing us into filling all AIDS meds via the "specialty pharmacy" ... ("special" has apparently become a euphemism for HIV/AIDS). If you look on-line, the vast majority of the "special" meds are related to HIV/AIDS. The pharmacy you are no doubt being forced to use is OptumRX / Prescription Solutions.

My doctor thinks the purpose of OptumRX / Prescription Solutions may be to make filling HIV medication harder, resulting in lower costs for the insurance (this is the guy in the white coat with the MD suggesting this, not me). Cigna couldn't possibly want to use OptumRX for the RX costs themselves, as OptumRX / Prescription Solutions actually charges MORE than my local pharmacy (according to Cigna's web site). Yes, this is anti-HIV discrimination at its worst. If they can't get us off the insurance, they will just make it a huge pain in the ass to fill our meds.

Once my firm issues bonuses and I am slightly less afraid of getting fired, I am going to file congressional complaints (to my senators and congressmen/women over the web), an FTC complaint, BBB complaint, state attorney general complaint, federal ADA complaint, etc. Copy/Paste makes it very easy to complain to many state and federal agencies all at the same time. I suggest anyone else who is having these issues with OptumRX do the same. (Evidently in CA they were able to force Cigna to allow local pharmacies, but this was all based on local CA state law.) ACA does "protect" whistle-blowers, but I am not sure the extent of this protection.

OptumRX / Prescription Solutions has already screwed me over several times, including "accidentally" not filling my orders (twice now). I have a few suggestions on ways of dealing with them:

1) Always request a tracking number, even though they will not give you one on your first call (when you order).

2) Call back after you order to get the tracking number. If they've shipped something, at least you may get ONE of your meds.

3) Always order one med at a time. This ensures they don't screw up and ship you only one RX.

4) Make sure you are dealing with the specialty pharmacy, not the "regular" pharmacy. The regular pharmacy has actually flat out refused to fill an RX before, insisting that I wait several weeks (they also claimed my meds were not specialty meds). The "specialty" pharmacy has a direct number -- always call that.

5) Call your RX in as early as possible (usually at least 7-10 days before your RX is out, or about 21 days after your last fill). I think my insurance allows 10 days. Mark it on your calendar, as OptumRX will surely screw something up and you'll probably have to re-order.

6) OptumRX seems to prefer using UPS. You can sign up for the UPS delivery alerts on the UPS web site. The delivery alerts will send you an e-mail telling you when a package has being sent to you. If you don't get a delivery e-mail within a day or so after ordering from OptumRX, you will need to call and re-order.  ::)

7) If you ever have issues, deal with your doctor and not OptumRX.

Hope that helps. Best of luck, and again I strongly suggest filing complaints. If enough of us raise hell for Cigna, we may be able to get them to back off of this shit pharmacy.



td

Offline MitchMiller

  • Member
  • Posts: 672
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2013, 02:36:50 am »
American health care at its best!  All the reason to hate the fact that Obama sold us out to these bastards.

Offline bocker3

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,285
  • You gotta enjoy life......
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #6 on: March 24, 2013, 03:51:49 pm »
Cigna couldn't possibly want to use OptumRX for the RX costs themselves, as OptumRX / Prescription Solutions actually charges MORE than my local pharmacy (according to Cigna's web site). Yes, this is anti-HIV discrimination at its worst.

Having never dealt with this company or CIGNA, I can't comment on service issues.  However, I can comment on this quoted section.

What a company CHARGES and what an insurance company has negotiated as payment are usually two very different things.
My ID doc CHARGES Aetna $175 for each of my visits -- Aenta only pays $79 (minus my copay, of course).

Mike

Offline mikejh

  • Member
  • Posts: 42
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2013, 10:17:48 pm »
I just started to order my Meds From OptumRX this year, have 14 medications included
Atripla and have not had any problem, they actually called me and reminded that it was time for refill.
CD4   %
22 Sep 06   37     5  Started Atripla
5   Oct 06   82     9
1   Dec 06  258   13
25 Jan  07  263   14
1   May 07  403   18
6   Aug 07  438   22
7   Nov 07  417   19
30 jan   08  310   19
7   May  08  285   20
6   Aug  08  472   27
12  Nov 08  444   26
11  Feb  09 335    19
10  May  09  460  25
Jan 10 575 u/d
Feb 11 590 u/d
June 12 625 u/d
2013 646  u/d
2014 580 u/d
2015 590 u/d
2016 635 u/d
2017 620 u/d change to Genuvia
Jan 2018 580 u/d changed Triumeq
Feb 2019 620 u/d
March 2019 change

Offline Encouraged2013

  • New Member
  • Posts: 2
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2013, 06:31:24 pm »
Can you not use a copayment card with mail order to eliminate the copayment?? Contact Gilead for copayment assistance and yes u can use co pay card with private insurance!

Offline Cpt.Mauzer

  • Member
  • Posts: 34
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2013, 02:41:54 pm »
I'm just going through this now with Cigna.  My doc prescribed me stribild, so i go to the pharmacy, they tell me i need pre-authorization.  So i get that only for them to turn around and tell me my deductable (for a single month) is 2100 something dollars. Obviously I can't afford that and did some prodding around and found out about Cigna's home delivery service (that charges me 66/month).  I feel like this is such a scam that they are making us jump through these hoops.  I still have to get it set up but im waiting on my doctor to send them the script -_-

I don't get it...*hits head against wall*  :o
6-7-13 Detected
6-10-13 74949 VL CD4 458 (32%)
6-27-13 Started Stribild
7-29-13 VL 29 CD4 731 (31%)

Offline Cpt.Mauzer

  • Member
  • Posts: 34
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2013, 08:44:22 pm »
Can you not use a copayment card with mail order to eliminate the copayment?? Contact Gilead for copayment assistance and yes u can use co pay card with private insurance!

I finally got everything sorted out with the mail delivery.  The way i had it set up was to do 90 days at a time and then signed up for Gilead's co-payment assistance.  Everything went through and totally wiped out my co-payment to zero.  It's definitely worth jumping through the hoops (it took me maybe 10 minutes to sign up for the Gilead program).
6-7-13 Detected
6-10-13 74949 VL CD4 458 (32%)
6-27-13 Started Stribild
7-29-13 VL 29 CD4 731 (31%)

Offline a2z

  • Member
  • Posts: 209
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2013, 06:27:42 am »
PeteSkier, my experience through Cigna has been the opposite of yours.  (I'm actually shedding a small tear, no sarcasm, because I'm now switching health insurance in 2 days because of a new employer.)  I've been going to Walgreen's and getting my prescriptions no problem.

EDIT: I have a PPO plan.  I don't know if that makes a difference.
Dates are blood draw dates:
3/12/15: CD4 941, 36.4%, VL UD
9/4/14: CD4 948, 37.9%, VL 150
5/23/14: CD4 895 --.-% VL UD - Truvada/Isentress
09/21/09: CD4 898 27.0% VL 120 - back on track, same meds.High level enzymes, but less so
06/15/09: CD4 478 21.8% VL 1150 - high liver enzymes... looks like I may not be resistant
05/22/09: Fixed insurance, resumed medicine
04/17/09: Ran out of medicine, could not resolve insurance problems
04/01/09: CD4 773 28% VL 120 - high liver enzymes
12/01/08: CD4 514 23% VL 630
10/17/08 started Reyataz, Norvir and Truvada. -- possibly minor neuropathy, but otherwise okay.
9/10/08: CD4 345 17%, VL > 78K
8/18/08: CD4 312 18%, VL > 60K (considering meds)
12/19/07: CD4 550 28% VL > 100K (no meds yet)
Diagnosed 10/23/07

Offline NY2011

  • Member
  • Posts: 173
Re: Cigna Insurance
« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2013, 07:04:59 am »
I have Cigna. I pay $15 for a 90-day supply via mail-order. It sounds like it's the plan you've been assigned. 
10/26/2011 - SEROCONVERSION (fever+rash, 104 degrees F)
10/31/2011 - CD4= 154  VL>500,000 
10/31/2011 - started on Truvada+Prezista+Norvir
12/14/2011 - CD4= 750 VL=6412 (45%)
01/27/2012 - switched to Atripla
04/23/2012 - CD4=1,221 VL= 140  (47%)
06/22/2012 - CD4=1,224 VL= ud    (49%)
12/18/2012 - CD4=1,031 VL= ud    (51%)
09/16/2013 - CD4=1,151 VL= ud   (49%)
03/26/2014 - CD4=1,050 VL= ud
11/25/2014 - CD4=1,335 VL= ud
12/01/2015 - CD4=1,115 VL= ud (55%)
11/22/2016 - CD4=1,071 VL= ud (52%)
06/01/2017 - CD4=1,014 VL= ud (53%)
switched to Biktarvy in 2018
04/23/2019 - CD4=1,072 VL= ud (52%)
01/15/2020 - CD4=  925  VL= ud (50%)

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.