Photographer, Educator, Student, Mother & Wife Obsessed with sharing moments through pictures & words
“…And if not now, when?” ~R. Hillel It’s been a little while since I updated my blog. I’ve been busy with quite a few things. Rather than reflecting on my busy moments (which I’m sure I’ll do soon) today is a little day that I felt it’s necessary to jot down a few thoughts after […]
It sounds like both of our kids have gotten denied by Cigna… My April, who’s a month younger than Chance but with same lesion level, isn’t strong enough yet even for a walker. We ordered a dynamic stander for her back in November, to help build her core strength, teach her proper standing position, and give her the mobility that she craves. It’s about a $2,000 piece of equipment, but with it, we may be able to avoid the series of orthopedic surgeries that she is potentially facing, which will cost Cigna WAY more than $2,000. And even at $2,000, it’s much cheaper than the wheelchair which would be the next step if she cannot get the mobility that a dynamic stander would provide.
Last week (nearly 2 months after ordering), Cigna denied the application. And we cannot even appeal it, because the reason for the denial is “your policy doesn’t cover standers.” Period. End of story. Even though my union’s contract says that our benefits must cover 100% of durable medical equipment. Unlimited amount. Of course, it’s taken hours of phone calls even to get the reason out of them…
Oh, and when calling Cigna, as early as you can, start saying “Customer Service.” You get to a human faster that way (under 5 minutes each time)…
Your website is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this difficult story. The word needs to get out whenever any insurance behaves this way. The faces and families behind the “applications” need to be heard.
by Amanda Kern
2 comments