Anyone know anything about Cigna health services?

[haele]

My company is switching from Blue Cross - Anthem to Cigna this enrollment period, and I'd like to know if they are any good; especially as I've got to keep coverage on my family, all of which have pre-existing conditions and may need specialists occasionally and often change prescriptions for chronic problems.
I'm currently enrolled in the PPO program and am concerned not only about the service, but the costs; Blue Cross had not raised premiums or deductibles, nor the price of doctor's visits over the past two years, unlike the two of the three other health service programs (Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, and Tricare - which I'm not eligible for until I'm 55...); only prescription drugs have gone up, and even them, not too greatly compared to what I've seen on some other services.
So, would it be advisable for me to go ahead and transfer my health coverage to Cigna, or perhaps try something else? I don't want to go on HMO coverage - I'd like to insure that my stepdaughter in custody limbo can continue under my health service - but if Kaiser might be better for our family's chronic problems and requirements for prompt access to specialists than Cigna, I'd like to know about my options there...

Thanks for any and all help.

Haele

[Pithlet]

1. It depends on the plan

But Cigna is notorious for not paying claims on time. They seem to eventually come around to it, but you have to pester them if your doctor's office won't. It got really tiresome. We recently switched from Cigna, and just in time. Our pediatrician dumped them because the office was tired of dealing with them.

[haele]

2. That's one of the things that worry me...

When I googled Cigna, other than the standard health services ads, I saw reports of suit settlements concerning doctor's payments.

That's something we don't need, on top of our own problems keeping track of the medical bills.

Haele

[theorist]

4. I've heard of similar problems.

My girlfriend has been dumped by her dad's Cigna plan several times for such false reasons as "she's married" to "she's no longer in school". It then took many phone calls and letters to get her back on.

They are notorious for paying claims late. Depending on the plan, they will flat out deny every claim at first, then pay after several letters have been sent. (If you're a Cigna employee, and this is not accurate, please clear this up for me. Why does your company do this?)

Another minor thing: they assign a number to each family member, right? Well, in the case of my SO's family, they numbered the male members of the family first by age, then the female members, i.e. her younger brother was number 2, mother was number 3. I'm not sure if this is common practice, but her mom was quite insulted.

[Pithlet]

3. I will say

that Cigna was rather flexible when there was a mix up during my pregnancy and I was referred to the neurologist by my OB/GYN. I got to the office, and it turns out I couldn't be referred from my OB/GYN, but I hadn't seen a primary care physician yet under Cigna, so didn't have one selected in the system. They went ahead and agreed to pay for that one visit anyway so I wouldn't have to reschedule that day, but I had to go back to see a PC.