Starbridge/Cigna??

macgrl80 · 04-01-2008, 03:00 PM

For some reason my job says that even though we work 37.5 hours a week (not to mention the past 2 months we have been working 40 hours) we are considered part time. So I missed the deadline last year to get insurance but this year it's coming up again and I am considering getting it. It is Starbridge/Cigna. I have never heard of this before and I was just wondering if anyone else had it. Apparently it's only partial insurance but I am afraid it's not going to cover the doctors visits that I need (I haven't had insurance for almost 2 years). And supposedly if I sign up for it this month I have to keep it for a year but I don't know if that means that if I quit I still have to pay for it. No one in our office really knows anything about it and I have heard it's not a great plan but I was figuring that it would be better than nothing but now I am not so sure...

relka · 04-04-2008, 11:10 PM

companies can pretty much define who is a full-time and part-time. there is no labor law on this matter. as for sigining up for health insurance, do it. even if everything is not covered somethings will be and that will save you some money. check the law in your state on pre-existing conditions. this may exclude youf rom coverage for anything that you have been diagnosed with before you had coverage for a defined period of time.

KatCarney · 04-07-2008, 02:42 PM

If you've previously been without insurance, and now have the opportunity to get 'in', I agree with Relka - do it (espcially if you don't have any other options). It will make it easier to move to a better plan down the line.

jenakarose · 04-07-2008, 03:45 PM

My husband works for a union, and they use Cigna. It is decent insurance. My dd was hospitalized for 8 days last summer, and our part of the bill was 5000. I had a laporoscopy in Nov 06, and between dr, anest, and hospital, our portion was less than 900. GL with the decision.

HRTinAZ · 04-07-2008, 05:52 PM

I agree with the other advice. The only other thing I would add is that usually when they say you have to stay with it for a year they mean that you cannot change or drop it until your companies next designated "open enrollment period." Now with that being said, there are usually life circumstances insurance companies call "qualifying events" that can get you out of the year committment (i.e., loss of job, sickness, husband's loss of job or gain in job that would make you want to switch). Check the fine print on your policy to see for sure.

floridacracker · 04-22-2008, 12:36 PM

Starbridge is just the Adminstrator that's paid to manage the plan. Cigna would be the network for physcians and fee schedule. Which means that you would be able to use a physician or hospital that is on the Cigna network or a contracted provider for Cigna. Every insurance policy has different benefits though, so it's hard to determine what the policy will cover until you get the handbook!!
HTH

c.a.rogers · 04-22-2008, 08:42 PM

It is usually dirt cheap and covers only rock bottom minimum basics. My DH had it.

Carol

laikola · 04-22-2008, 10:47 PM

I currently have Cinga. Check out their website www.cigna.com.

My employer offers different plans through Cigna, and I currently have the smallest...and for me personally it's doing alright.

I'd suggest getting some details from their website.

But overall, I like them.

mloverstreet · 04-24-2008, 07:07 PM

I was on Cigna as a child, teenager, and then college. (I had coverage through my dad.) We had a pretty good plan, but I remember my parents complaining about premiums quite a bit. The last few years, Cigna became a real problem for my parents. Cigna's prescription coverage changed (I think they offered scrips through Caremark) and whenever my parents would submit their scrips through mail-order (for maintenance meds) they would refuse to fill certain scrips or change the dosage amounts because their "on staff doctors and pharmacists" felt a different drug/dosage would be more efficient. They substituted generic cardiac drugs for my mother. The drugs made her so sick that she spent weeks practically living in the bathroom. They wanted my dad to cut his Metformin in half rather than providing the proper dosage. I had a holy sh*t fit over that one. Cutting drugs is the worst idea imaginable! It's impossible to ensure that each half of the pill contains the same amount of active drug. Hello! Basic chemistry!

Whenever my parents would call to complain, they'd get the run around. Their doctors tried to call the company and got the same treatment. My parents finally started paying out of pocket for name brand cardiac drugs that wouldn't irritate my mother's stomach as much as the generics that Caremark shoved at them.

Yeah. It was serious BS. This year, my dad's company switched to BCBS--and it's even worse coverage. Sigh.

That said, Cigna coverage can be good, but you might want to really study the plan you're offered--especially the prescription part.

KimmyC · 04-25-2008, 05:10 PM

OK - Dont get confused here. I work at a hospital and do insurance all day every day for the past 7 years! Cigna is the network but Starbridge is a little company that Cigna writes policy's for. Starbridge insurance is worthless! I guarantee you the Doctors/Hospitals will give you a better discount being uninsured that Starbridge would give you. They normally have very high deductibles and only cover minimal things. Most of the times, the claims that I do for Starbridge get kicked back and the patient gets the bill for the whole thing. Dont take the insurance it is junk...... and please dont get sucked in by them saying that it is Cigna (which is pretty good insurance) The actual insurance company is Starbridge and I promise you they are not worth it!!!!

macgrl80 · 04-25-2008, 05:50 PM

thank you so much. unfortunatetly i already signed up for it but i am going to try and call them and see if i can cancel it. i don't even want the hassle. i should of known that when i went to sign up the prices that they told me over the phone were different from the booklet we received and the prices on the internet were different from the booklet and the rep i spoke too!

04-01-2008, 03:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
macgrl80 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Langhorne PA Posts: 31 My Mood: Points: 16,302.98 Bank: 15,781.28 Total Points: 32,084.26 Donate	Starbridge/Cigna?? For some reason my job says that even though we work 37.5 hours a week (not to mention the past 2 months we have been working 40 hours) we are considered part time. So I missed the deadline last year to get insurance but this year it's coming up again and I am considering getting it. It is Starbridge/Cigna. I have never heard of this before and I was just wondering if anyone else had it. Apparently it's only partial insurance but I am afraid it's not going to cover the doctors visits that I need (I haven't had insurance for almost 2 years). And supposedly if I sign up for it this month I have to keep it for a year but I don't know if that means that if I quit I still have to pay for it. No one in our office really knows anything about it and I have heard it's not a great plan but I was figuring that it would be better than nothing but now I am not so sure... __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ~You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life~ just started... 1,000mg Cinnamon 500mg Vitamin C 600mg NAC 1,500mg Vitex 1000mg Flaxseed we will see what happens... To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-04-2008, 11:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
relka Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 358 Points: 5,415.34 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 5,415.34 Donate	companies can pretty much define who is a full-time and part-time. there is no labor law on this matter. as for sigining up for health insurance, do it. even if everything is not covered somethings will be and that will save you some money. check the law in your state on pre-existing conditions. this may exclude youf rom coverage for anything that you have been diagnosed with before you had coverage for a defined period of time. __________________ Me 33 DH 36 dx 2003 HSG all clear dx male factor 1/08 levoxyl 50mcg (slight hypothyroid)/dostanex (prolactin levels) OV watch worked but BFN 3/08 3/08: 1st round Clomid100mg/dexamethasone No O; started follistim 50-100IU 4/18 trigger & 4/19 IUI...5/4 BFN 5/08 Round 2 Follistim 75IU

04-07-2008, 02:42 PM	#3 (permalink)
KatCarney SoulCyster #1 Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 16,797 My Mood: MyEbay : Points: 1,166,418.95 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 1,166,418.95 Donate	If you've previously been without insurance, and now have the opportunity to get 'in', I agree with Relka - do it (espcially if you don't have any other options). It will make it easier to move to a better plan down the line. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. COMING SOON - The New Soulcysters! - CLICK TO READ!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-07-2008, 03:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
jenakarose Watch us grow. Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Nampa, Idaho Posts: 601 My Mood: MyEbay : Points: 377,794.46 Bank: 5.54 Total Points: 377,800.00 Donate	My husband works for a union, and they use Cigna. It is decent insurance. My dd was hospitalized for 8 days last summer, and our part of the bill was 5000. I had a laporoscopy in Nov 06, and between dr, anest, and hospital, our portion was less than 900. GL with the decision. __________________ Jennifer To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (34), Hubby To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (42) Married 3/25/06 DD To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (8) EDD 8/16/08 Allie Louise is growing right on target Dx’ed PCOS 5/05 and Endo 11/06 Meds: Wellburtin, and Prenatals Next appt- 5/27 Glucose test...Oh joy! My blog: To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. EMAIL me for a referral to boomertowne!

04-07-2008, 05:52 PM	#5 (permalink)
HRTinAZ Heather Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 36 My Mood: Points: 741.59 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 741.59 Donate	I agree with the other advice. The only other thing I would add is that usually when they say you have to stay with it for a year they mean that you cannot change or drop it until your companies next designated "open enrollment period." Now with that being said, there are usually life circumstances insurance companies call "qualifying events" that can get you out of the year committment (i.e., loss of job, sickness, husband's loss of job or gain in job that would make you want to switch). Check the fine print on your policy to see for sure. __________________ Me - 30, DH - 30, married 4 years TTC #1 since 10/07 dx 2/08 Metformin 1500mg, Prenatals Surprise BFP on 4/16/08!!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-22-2008, 12:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
floridacracker Softball Playin' Cyster Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 42 My Mood: Points: 170.98 Bank: 1,332.51 Total Points: 1,503.49 Donate	Starbridge is just the Adminstrator that's paid to manage the plan. Cigna would be the network for physcians and fee schedule. Which means that you would be able to use a physician or hospital that is on the Cigna network or a contracted provider for Cigna. Every insurance policy has different benefits though, so it's hard to determine what the policy will cover until you get the handbook!! HTH __________________ Amanda 27/DH Jamie 33 TTC #1 since 2002 taking: Met 2000mg/ Prenatal Vitamins/ B12 supplements Femara 5mg/ Ovidrel BFP 12/5/07 Mc'd 1/15/08 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-22-2008, 08:42 PM	#7 (permalink)
c.a.rogers Life Sucks Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 102 My Mood: Points: 802.98 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 802.98 Donate	It is usually dirt cheap and covers only rock bottom minimum basics. My DH had it. Carol __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-22-2008, 10:47 PM	#8 (permalink)
laikola Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Saint Cloud, MN Posts: 73 My Mood: Points: 1,769.49 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 1,769.49 Donate	I currently have Cinga. Check out their website www.cigna.com. My employer offers different plans through Cigna, and I currently have the smallest...and for me personally it's doing alright. I'd suggest getting some details from their website. But overall, I like them. __________________ Laura - 23 Diagnosed w/ PCOS Sept. 2007. Just me, myself and I. Medications: Birth Control Spiro 100mg = twice a day Met 500mg increasing in a few weeks. Cinnamon 2000mg/day Goodbye size 18, HELLO 14!! Okay, so the 14's are a lil snug still, but atleast I can get them buttoned!!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-24-2008, 07:07 PM	#9 (permalink)
mloverstreet Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 91 My Mood: Points: 1,371.99 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 1,371.99 Donate	I was on Cigna as a child, teenager, and then college. (I had coverage through my dad.) We had a pretty good plan, but I remember my parents complaining about premiums quite a bit. The last few years, Cigna became a real problem for my parents. Cigna's prescription coverage changed (I think they offered scrips through Caremark) and whenever my parents would submit their scrips through mail-order (for maintenance meds) they would refuse to fill certain scrips or change the dosage amounts because their "on staff doctors and pharmacists" felt a different drug/dosage would be more efficient. They substituted generic cardiac drugs for my mother. The drugs made her so sick that she spent weeks practically living in the bathroom. They wanted my dad to cut his Metformin in half rather than providing the proper dosage. I had a holy sht fit over that one. Cutting drugs is the worst idea imaginable! It's impossible to ensure that each half of the pill contains the same amount of active drug. Hello! Basic chemistry! Whenever my parents would call to complain, they'd get the run around. Their doctors tried to call the company and got the same treatment. My parents finally started paying out of pocket for name brand cardiac drugs that wouldn't irritate my mother's stomach as much as the generics that Caremark shoved at them. Yeah. It was serious BS. This year, my dad's company switched to BCBS--and it's even worse coverage. Sigh. That said, Cigna coverage can be good, but you might want to really study the plan you're offered--especially the prescription part. __________________ Maria (24) & Dave (34) Married June 16, 2007 PCOS Dx 10/07 Focusing on getting healthy!!! Meds: Apri (BCP), Women's Multivitamin, Folic Acid To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.* To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-25-2008, 05:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
KimmyC Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Anna Texas Posts: 72 My Mood: Points: 303.29 Bank: 339.51 Total Points: 642.80 Donate	OK - Dont get confused here. I work at a hospital and do insurance all day every day for the past 7 years! Cigna is the network but Starbridge is a little company that Cigna writes policy's for. Starbridge insurance is worthless! I guarantee you the Doctors/Hospitals will give you a better discount being uninsured that Starbridge would give you. They normally have very high deductibles and only cover minimal things. Most of the times, the claims that I do for Starbridge get kicked back and the patient gets the bill for the whole thing. Dont take the insurance it is junk...... and please dont get sucked in by them saying that it is Cigna (which is pretty good insurance) The actual insurance company is Starbridge and I promise you they are not worth it!!!! __________________ Me-25 DH-25 Married my child hood sweetheart 3/3/07 Dx- PCOS June 2007, Diverticulitis January 2005 Meds - pre natals, baby aspirin, toprol xl ITS A BOY!!!!!!!! DUE 6/1/08 One Furbaby at home~ Princess Molly To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and One Furbaby in Heaven ~ Ayla~ Died at 8 weeks of Feline Leukemia To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. God Bless AYLA

04-25-2008, 05:50 PM	#11 (permalink)
macgrl80 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Langhorne PA Posts: 31 My Mood: Points: 16,302.98 Bank: 15,781.28 Total Points: 32,084.26 Donate	thank you so much. unfortunatetly i already signed up for it but i am going to try and call them and see if i can cancel it. i don't even want the hassle. i should of known that when i went to sign up the prices that they told me over the phone were different from the booklet we received and the prices on the internet were different from the booklet and the rep i spoke too! __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ~You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life~ just started... 1,000mg Cinnamon 500mg Vitamin C 600mg NAC 1,500mg Vitex 1000mg Flaxseed we will see what happens... To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

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