My doctor approved me to get a pump a few weeks ago. I chose to go with Animas and have been waiting weeks since till I can get approval from my insurance. That seems to be the only thing they are waiting for. Cigna goes through a third party called Carecentrix for the pump. The paperwork from Animas was sent in on the 2nd and I was told that it should be approved by that next Monday or Thursday at the latest. I’ve called Cigna and Carecentrix everyday for almost two weeks asking if it’s been approved. Everytime I call it’s like a game going back and forth, Carecentrix says they are waiting for Cigna and Cigna says the opposite.
I called again today and was told another lie again regarding paperwork needed from Cigna. I finally called Carecentrix back again and asked to speak with a manager who told me it was on Cigna’s end and should have already been approved by now, but could take months! So I called Cigna again… …asked for a manager there and was turned down saying there wasn’t one available. I am so frustrated and tired of being thrown around like a ping pong ball! Animas seems to be calling only a couple days here and there to find information out. I feel like I am doing all the work. I’ve waited 10 years for a doctor to finally say I could get a pump and I wont give up until it’s in my hands. Does anybody else out there have Cigna and have had to deal with this? And if so do you have any advise on what I can do or say to get them to hurry up? How long did it take for your insurance to approve it? Maybe I am being too pushy, but this is huge for me! I’m already sure they are sick of me by now yelling at them daily on the phone… haha.
My suggestion would be to go back to your doctor and have them resubmit the request for you to be placed on a pump. Request that your doctor rewrite the letter of necessity. Have the doctor go into detail about why he/she feels that you need to be placed on a pump. Have the doctor explain how a pump would inhance your life. Have your doctor tell them the insurance company what complications you “might” get if you were not placed on a pump. The more detail the doctor provides the more likely you are to get approved. Make sure that the doctor also sends in copies of your glucose levels and your food journals for the last 3 months. Have your doctor mail you copies of the information also.
Might I also suggest that while your doctor is writing a letter of necessity for a pump have them also write letters for a CGM also? My doctor surprised me by writing letters for both of them this last time and I was approved for both.
Be pushy!!! I didn’t get my approval originally and my doc and I had to fight for it. Good luck!! I don’t have more advice since I have different insurance.
I’m sorry things are not going well for you, I can understand the frustration of making such a huge decision and then being put in limbo…totally bites. I’m insured with cigna and everything was handled between cigna and omnipod. Omnipod sent me the papers to get preapproved which I filled out and sent back to them. I got my approval and was sent the rest of the forms (medical necessity, medical info…etc.) by Omnipod which I then had my Doc filled out and I faxed them back to Omnipod. Everything was done in less than a month. I’m currently awaiting approval on a Dexcom which seems to be taking a bit longer but we’ll see.
