From CIGNA's FAQ - "psychotherapy results in 6-8 sessions"

After a recent switch in insurances, I chose an out-of-network friendly plan so we would be able to keep our favorite doctors and therapists. One of my family members' Phd Psychologists, who is out of their network, actually offered us a discount to not submit claims for reimbursement. She takes other insurances (she took our old one) but she said she dropped CIGNA because they were that bad. She said they expect therapy to normally take a capped amount of time and will demand to see reports on the progress when it takes "too long."

After googling, I found their FAQs.

Which indeed, in fact pushes for short term therapy, repeatedly stating that people feel better on an average of 6-8 sessions. Sometimes a little shorter or longer.

All I can say is, REALLY?

here is one excerpt. I kid you not.

What should I expect from outpatient therapy? Results in five sessions? An immediate “cure?”
Of course, the speed with which you will see results varies with a lot of factors, including the nature of your problem, how much and how fast you are willing to make changes in your life, and so forth. Most people can expect significant positive results within five sessions, and sometimes sooner. Getting at the tougher issues may take a little longer.

Does anyone here use Cigna? I am worried I am going to have problems, and I don't have any other choices. I would love it if people could tell me their actual experiences. I'm pretty annoyed as this is a very pricey plan that eats up my paycheck.

We've been on Cigna for years. They have covered every bit of therapy for me, my husband, and my son. That is 8 years for me, about 7 years for my husband, and 2 for my son. They have never limited the number of sessions we are allowed. The co-pay for mental health appointments (including psychiatric visits) is actually lower than for other types of doctor visits. They have covered our hospitalizations, our meds, ECT, etc. with really no problems. There are different types of plans though, which is typical of any insurance company, so it may be that your friend had a very basic kind of plan that had more limitations.

And yes, sometimes insurance companies want an update from the therapist. Seems like my therapist had to do that more at the beginning. He hasn't mentioned having to speak to them in years. Even when he did, it wasn't a problem at all. He has no complaints about getting reimbursed. They have covered each and every visit.

They aren't going to pay nearly as much for doctors out of their network and will have stricter guidelines, reporting, etc.; they don't have an agreement with that guy so no way to control costs for you or them. Take the discount that member's psychologist is offering and just pay them out-of-pocket if it is cheaper.