Cigna Information:

​I accept Cigna insurance in partnership with Wildflower Health. You must click on the Wildflower link to attain approval. This is a simple and quick process. Please enter my name (Cathleen Walker) when you are asked to select a Lactation Consultant. Once you have received approval, you may book your Intake Telehealth Appointment. I will be notified of your approval. 

• Cigna-Wildflower covers telehealth visits

• Cigna-Wildflower covers office and home visits

• For home visits, there is an additional $150 travel fee, which is not covered by insurance

• There are typically no out-of-pocket costs; however, you should check with your plan

• For Cigna clients, you must schedule a 30-minute telehealth intake visit before your in-person visit. You may schedule the 60-minute in-person visit any day after this telehealth visit (not the same day). We will meet virtually first and go over history, questions, and concerns. We will put together a temporary plan to get through the next day or two until your in-person appointment. When we meet in person, we can focus on the feedings or other concerns right away with more efficiency. 

 

Wildflower Link below:

Check your eligibility here at the link below. You will be asked to enter my name on the form. Please enter Cathleen Walker

I have Cigna Insurance

 

Aetna Information:

Regarding your Aetna plan, please read the following. I need to ensure you have a good understanding of potential out-of-pocket costs.

• For AETNA HOME VISITS: A $150 Travel Fee applies for any in-person Home visit and is not eligible for insurance coverage. Office Visits are available without this fee.

• If your baby is not covered by Aetna, an additional $150 fee will apply, and a claim (superbill) will be provided to you. 

•  Aetna often states you have 6 "free" lactation visits. They are referring to 6 S9443 codes. This code has no associated cost-sharing (copay, coinsurance, deductible) for the first 6 uses for most plans, but does not pay well enough to be billed as a stand-alone code. Aetna has recently reduced the number of S9443 allowed to less than 6.

• At each visit, I bill S9443 for the mom and the baby (assuming both are present), in addition to appropriate office visit or home visit codes

• Cost-sharing can be applied to those home or office codes for mom, baby, or both when the visit is longer than 30 minutes. My visits are typically 60-120 minutes.

• Copays or coinsurance are not always applied to these codes, but when they are, they commonly range from $13 to $60 for either the mother, the baby, or both, with an average of around $20-$40 per visit.

• When deductibles have not been met at the beginning of the year, you can expect to see more cost-sharing (higher out-of-pocket costs).

• Starting March 1, 2024, Aetna changed its policies to avoid paying preventive codes for infant feeding services. Even if Aetna tells you you are covered for free, most plans will assign a cost share for your child's claim for their services. All cost share assigned will be charged to your credit card on file. 

• Please note that I cannot guarantee the exact costs due to the variability of Aetna plans and unreliable cost estimates from Aetna.

 

United HealthCare Information:​

• For UNITED HEALTHCARE HOME VISITS: A $150 Travel fee applies for any in-person Home visit and is not eligible for insurance coverage. Office Visits are available without this fee.

• If your baby is not covered by UnitedHealthcare, an additional $150 fee will apply, and a claim (superbill) will be provided to you. 

• While I am in-network with UnitedHealthcare, and there is not supposed to be any cost-sharing, you will be charged for any cost-sharing that UnitedHealthcare applies.

​You are responsible for any deductibles, co-pays, or co-insurance that may be required. I cannot guarantee that your covered services will not have cost-sharing applied by your insurance. Even if your insurance told you that you have full coverage for lactation care, there will likely be limitations on care that may differ from plan to plan. I cannot legally or contractually waive the cost-sharing under any circumstance. I am required by law to invoice you.

 

​When calling your insurance company regarding benefits or to check if I participate in your plan, you will be asked for the following information:

Provider Name: Cathleen Walker
Business name: Lactation Consultant At Home, LLC
NPI #: 1710343249

Ask for a reference number for the call and record the date.