r/HealthInsurance • u/Starlight-Seeker • Jul 27 '25

Plan Choice Suggestions How Screwed Am I?

My employer is changing from Cigna to Planstin Administration which is apparently something called a reference based pricing plan. What is this? Please explain this to me in the simplest terms possible.

My benefits manager said that before every single doctor's appointment and every single test (labs, x-ray, etc), I'll need to contact Planstin's Care Coordination Team. I have multiple chronic medical conditions. I see a lot of specialists, get a lot tests done, and take multiple prescriptions.

How screwed am I with this type of health insurance?

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5

u/Initial-Success-5073 Jul 27 '25

You shouldn’t have to seek out the cheapest care.

0

u/Dapper-Palpitation90 Jul 27 '25

Why not? You probably would if you were paying your own bills. Why should you be less careful with somebody else's money than you would be with your own?

4

u/VelvetElvis Jul 28 '25

Benefits are part of employee compensation, no different than salary. From the moment you sign an employment contract, they are yours by legal right. It's not "someone elses money."

When an employer swatches to cheaper insurance, it's a pay cut and an ample reason to seek new employment.

2

u/mholger Jul 27 '25

Because cheapest(now) and cheapest(long term) are very rarely the same thing, and I would expect any decent benefits administrator to manage the plans funds for the long-term but most individuals don’t have that luxury, so on their own they would be shopping for cheapest immediate solution.