“What do I do? Where do I go?”: Cigna patients scramble as Memorial goes out of network

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -As of May 1, Memorial Health is out of network for CIGNA after negotiations failed to produce a new agreement.

For Molly Quarterman in Toombs County, the timing couldn’t be worse.

“I’m currently pregnant and I’m supposed to deliver at Memorial,” Quarterman said. “But I have CIGNA and since they have not come to an agreement, every hospital close by that I can deliver at is out of network.”

Memorial has said emergency care will still be provided, but patients with non-emergency needs are being urged to confirm coverage and potential costs before scheduling appointments.

Quarterman said she was given only four days’ notice before the deadline. She said the closest in-network option she has found could mean more than three hours of travel, adding stress at a time when minutes can matter.

Quarterman said she worries the impact will extend far beyond her situation, especially for patients dealing with serious illnesses or specialty care needs.

“I’m a nurse myself, that’s scary,” she said. “You wonder with people dealing with all kind of illnesses… where can they go to get care now?”

She said the issue is not limited to Savannah because many rural and coastal patients rely on Memorial specialists. Quarterman said she hopes the two sides reach an agreement soon.

“I just hope they come to some agreement soon, before we really start seeing the effect of people going without care,” she said.

For more on what CIGNA and Memorial Health has to say and what this change means for you, click here.