Insurance Help Needed Kaiser vs Cigna

[kattterina]

Stats
I am 21.
I live in California.
I am on my parents health insurance Kaiser.
My husband is being offered Cigna thru his job.
His plan has a pretty high deductible and higher copay than my parent's plan.
P.S. I am having trouble finding info on this subject on the googles. lol.

Questions
Can I wait to be added to his plan?
Would I need to state somewhere that I may want the health insurance in the future? I would still want his dental and vision insurance.
Also, most importantly, how do you like Cigna Insurance?


I like Kaiser because of it's centralized system and facilities. I also like my pdoc, and I want to stay with her as long as possible as I continue to make progress with ADHD. I REALLY REALLY don't want to have to go through that whole goose chase with finding another decent p-doc right now. I have had some BAD pdoc experiences and I cherish the ones whom I get along with very much.

My parents are fine with me continuing on their insurance. I feel a little guilty / weird about it. But I guess I shouldn't because I don't rely on them for anything else and I haven't for a long time (since I moved out @17). It just feels really odd when you're a married person and on your parents health insurance.

[Zevispaz]

I'd stick with whatever one saves you money until you're 26.

I'm still on my dad's family cell plan, my husband is too. I just reimburse it for whatever amount extra it is for me to be on it, which is pretty minimal compared to what I would have to pay on my own.

[namazu]

Usually (and you'll want to check this!) when a person gets insurance through work, there's some kind of annual "benefit selection" cycle. So each year your huband might get asked whether or not he wants to stick with the plan for the coming year (or switch to another plan, if there are options).

At that time (maybe a 2 week or 1 month period of time), it is usually possible to add coverage for a spouse or dependents. (Also, if there's a change in family status, like say you were to have a kid, sometimes you can add them to the insurance that in the middle of the year instead of waiting.)

I can't think of any reason why you'd need to inform Cigna or your husband's work that sometime in the future you might want to use that plan. The only thing you may want to do is be sure that in the year you turn 26, you don't end up with a gap between your birthday and whenever it is your husband can add you to his plan.

I'm glad you've had a good experience with Kaiser and that you have options -- both good things. Take care!

[Beekeeper]

Downside to Cigna, at least in my experience: they don't cover most ADHD meds. They cover a few of the generics on their 4th tier plan, but I don't think any of the brand medications. I'm with Cigna, 3rd tier and have to pay out of pocket for all my meds

Here, check out this link, it's their prescription drug coverage for a portion of ADHD meds. You can change the options to get more info.

[k1dj03y]

Here is the inherent problem with asking for feedback on which insurance company to use.

My kaiser coverage through my employeer is different then your kaisers coverage through your employeer (maybe its not through your employeer but you should understand the concept.). Every employeer gets to select what they offer to their employees in their benefits package. Every year when open enrollment comes around I need to sit down for a few hours and compare plan a to plan b to plan c (yes my employeer gives us three options). And from there I select the best option with the benefits I will need or use the following year. Because coverage options can change year to year here is what I do.

First I compare plan A to plan B and pick the better of the two. Then I compare that plan to plan C, and pick the better of them. I am also lucky as my pdoc accepts both providers offered to me through my employeer.

So you might want to call your doctor(s) and ask if he/she/they accept plan A and/or plan B. If they do, then sit down and compare benefits to benefits. One of the benefits to the health care reform act it's easier to undersand what is and is not covered. As well as deductibles.

Once you have the whole picture then make a decision on who to use for your coverage. As for me I went with my works Kaiser Plan as while it offered a higher deductible for routine treatments. It was actually lower on prescription copays and specialist visits (like to my pdoc) compared to the other provider. So in the end it saves me a few dollars here and there.