A TikToker has gone viral after sharing her frustrating experience of trying to go through the convoluted process of getting a dentist appointment covered by Cigna, her insurance provider.
The video was posted on Thursday by @awalmartparkinglot, and has since accumulated over 258,800 views.
In the video, the TikToker, who possesses dental insurance through her employer, revealed she decided to schedule an appointment with a dentist. However, the ordeal began when she discovered that the chosen dentist was not in her insurance network, despite finding the dentist listed on the insurer’s website.
“I have dental insurance through my employer. Great. Log online, look up my zip code, make an appointment at one of the dentists. Come to find out that dentist is not in that network,” she vented.
The issue didn’t end there. When she inquired about the cost of the appointment, she was told to call the dentist a few days before the appointment to get a price estimate. But when the TikToker called a couple of days before her appointment, she was met with yet another roadblock. The dentist’s office claimed they couldn’t provide a cost estimate and suggested an alternative: Calling the insurance provider directly.
“We’ll give you all of the codes of what we do at a new patient appointment. And then you can call Cigna and ask them how much they will cover of that,” she relayed in the video, recalling what the receptionist told her.
The suggested approach involved the tedious task of calling Cigna and requesting information on coverage, with a specific emphasis on asking for a dollar amount rather than a percentage.
In the video, she expressed that the receptionist’s suggestion was “very helpful,” but that she decided to cancel the appointment anyway. “I unfortunately do not have the time to conduct multiple conference calls just to find out how much the dentist appointment is going to cost, let alone me attending the dentist appointment,” she said.
The video has accumulated over 258,000 views, many of which went to the comment section to express similar frustrations with the health insurance system.
“My eye dr left the network. they told me AFTER MY APPOINTMENT,” one user wrote.
“My insurance only pays for them to do half of my mouth at a time. So it’s two appts and it’s hell,” another user commented.
“I have BCBS and the same exact thing happened. Can someone update these websites? I feel like they do it on purpose so you give up and pay in full,” a third wrote.
“Call the insurance and ask for an in network doctor. The customer service reps will have an accurate record, unlike the website,” one more advised.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @awalmartparkinglot via TikTok direct messages and to Cigna via their media contact representative.
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Source: https://www.dailydot.com/news/cigna-dental-insurance/