The D.C. government last month abruptly ended its relationship with its largest health care provider, forcing about3,000 city employees into a new plan and leaving many scrambling to replace doctors no longer covered.
The Department of Human Resources told its CIGNA users about the change in a Dec. 21 e-mail. On Jan. 6, all CIGNA clients were transitioned to a newly offered Aetna plan, whether they wanted it or not.
Employees were caught off guard, said Kristopher Baumann, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, who said he was receiving a number of “panicked phone calls” daily.
“Nobody’s telling them anything,” Baumann said. “They’re just finding out about this. These guys are showing up at their doctors, and their doctors are saying ‘We don’t take that. You don’t belong here anymore.’ ”
A number of firefighters also raised the issue during a recent hearing before the D.C. Council’s public safety committee, chaired by at-large D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson. The larger issue, Mendelson said, is that without CIGNA, the District offers only one PPO option to its employees.
Michael Rupert, human resources spokesman, said the District cut ties with CIGNA due to “contract issues,” and the city “could not risk prolonged negotiations and having even a single employee have a break in coverage.” He declined to provide further details.
All former CIGNA patients will have the opportunity to choose a new plan by Feb. 29 or waive their coverage entirely.
“CIGNA is disappointed at the impasse between our company and the District of Columbia,” company spokeswoman Ann Marie C. Raymond said in a statement. “We will work with the employees who are affected in order to ensure their continuity of care.”
