Tag: Cigna

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Government Red Tape

I spent a total of about 45 minutes on the phone today with Medicare who is part of the reason Cigna HealthSpring can’t easily disenroll me from my Rx policy, though I think it could have been done in April if they were on the ball. Disenrollment has to be during enrollment periods for Medicare and the next enrollment/disenrollment period for Medicare is October 15 to December 7. Basically, Medicare (after talking with 3 people and the last spending time researching) told me I have to wait until October 15 for disenrollment in the Cigna HealthSpring Rx plan. So I call back in about a month. At least there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. And why didn’t Cigna know this?

All the calls meant I had to buy more time on my Sim Card for the cell phone. As a non-resident, I can’t get a monthly phone bill but must use the pay as you go sim card on my cell phone. I do it over the internet with an easy system called Mobile Recharge. But still something else to do! 

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In the Shadows

My shadow on neighborhood walk.

And I feel like I’m still in the shadows of the U.S. Government and U.S. Big Business! It was very easy to cancel my MediGap Medicare supplemental insurance with Mutual of Omaha. I applaud them for their courtesy, understanding, and simplicity in dropping an unnecessary and unusable insurance plan. 

But the much less expensive or helpful Medicare Rx Plan with Cigna HealthSpring who was not helpful when I was in the states and now that I live in another country and cannot use their plan, they have been less than helpful in what they call “Disenrollment.” Three overseas phone calls since March, promises of sending me a Disenrollment Form, and still I am being charged monthly for a Rx insurance I cannot use. Grrrrrr! After today’s call I wrote a letter I will fax tomorrow that is suppose to do the same thing as the form. (?) Plus they promised again to send me the form to my U.S. address as backup plan 2, and plan 3 (that makes me shudder) is I am going to call the U.S. Medicare office tomorrow. Cigna-HealthSpring will also let the government request disenrollment. I dread another overseas call which costs enough I will need to add more time to my cell phone sim card. And I’m always surprised when a government office actually provides some help. But maybe! The embassy here has, especially with Social Security and voter registration.

Why am I canceling U.S. medical insurance? (Not Medicare) (1) None of it works while living here (not even Medicare),  (2) It is very expensive, and (3) I have private medical insurance here I will continue until my residency is fully processed and I can be on the government medical insurance plan here when I will really save money. The private plan here is less expensive than stateside insurance and similar coverage. Plus medical costs here are so much less expensive that I could come out ahead paying for it with no insurance if nothing big happened! But then, potential catastrophes are why we have insurance in the first place. 🙂  And I’m keeping U.S. Medicare for that reason, just in case I travel to the states and something happens there, I will at least have basic Medicare coverage. And it is more involved to cancel or drop it and I think the hundred something I pay a month for it is worth it for now. Maybe not later. We’ll see.
I also have a sweet deal with my primary care doctor here so that I can come in anytime I need care or just have a question. i.e. I’m going to go by this week or soon and ask for her opinion of the many dentists in town and schedule my first cleaning and checkup. Cheap! Medical tourism is big here, especially for dental work! The cost is a small fraction of the U.S. costs. 
Today my new maid cleaned the house while I went to Alajuela to pick up three internet orders. I prefer to be out of the house when she is cleaning.  I did two little posts on my new Spanish Learning Blog today.  Pura Vida!