Participating providers have 180 days from the date of service to file a HealthSpring claim, unless the provider agreement says otherwise. Out-of-network providers have 365 days. Corrected claims get no extra time. An appeal is due within 65 days of the original decision, and a payment reconsideration within 180 days of the payment date.
Since January 1, 2026, the patients you used to bill as Cigna Medicare have been HealthSpring members. Health Care Service Corporation bought Cigna's Medicare Advantage, supplemental benefits and Part D business in 2025, and the plans were renamed for the 2026 plan year. If you had a Cigna Medicare contract, it moved over to HealthSpring. You did not have to sign anything new.
What did change is the paperwork around the claim: a new payer space, a gateway that now rejects claims, and deadlines that are nothing like Cigna's commercial ones. Billers who still treat these patients as "Cigna" are the ones getting surprised by the 65-day appeal window.
The deadlines, in one table
| Situation | Deadline | Clock starts |
|---|---|---|
| New claim, participating provider | 180 days unless your agreement says otherwise | Date of service |
| New claim, out-of-network provider | 365 days | Date of service |
| Corrected claim | Same as a new claim | Original date of service |
| Appeal, participating provider | 65 days | Date of the original decision |
| Payment reconsideration or dispute | 180 days | Claim payment date |
| Medical records HealthSpring asks for | 30 days | Date of the request |
The 180-day and 365-day limits come from HealthSpring's 2026 manuals for participating and non-participating providers. Your agreement can set a different number, so if you have one, the agreement wins.
HealthSpring deadline calculator
Pick what you are filing, then enter the date that starts the clock.
Corrected claims: no new clock
This is the question most people searching HealthSpring are really asking. The answer is short: neither 2026 HealthSpring manual gives corrected claims their own window. A corrected claim is a claim, so it has to land inside 180 days of the date of service if you are participating, or 365 days if you are not.
Two lines in the participating manual matter here:
- Timely filing requirements are not changed by the appeal process or by the appeal outcome.
- If an appeal is approved but payment depends on you sending a corrected claim, the time frame is not automatically extended.
Put together, that means you can win an appeal and still lose the money if the corrected claim goes in after day 180. So when a fix is needed, send the corrected claim first, while there is still time on the clock, and appeal only what the correction cannot solve.
How to send it: submit electronically as a replacement of the original claim (claim frequency code 7, with the original claim number), or a void (8) if the claim should not have gone out. That is the standard 837 method; the HealthSpring manual does not add special rules on top of it. If HealthSpring asked for documents rather than a new claim, send those to Claims Intake (addresses below) and do not resubmit the whole claim.
Example. Visit on February 10, 2026, participating provider. The claim is due by August 9, 2026. A coding error found on July 20 still has 20 days. The same error found on August 20 is too late for a corrected claim, and an appeal will not reopen the window.
Send us the list: payer, date of service, denial code and amount. No patient names needed. We will tell you which claims can still be fixed, which need an appeal, and which deadlines are close. Free, usually within 2 business days. Want the full picture? Get a free 90-day denial audit from your ERA files.
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Appeals vs reconsiderations
HealthSpring uses two different routes, with two very different windows. Picking the wrong one is how claims get stuck.
Reconsideration or payment dispute: 180 days from the claim payment date. Use this when the claim was paid and you think the amount is wrong: a fee schedule problem, a bundling edit, a units issue. Mail to HealthSpring Reconsiderations, PO Box 1004, Nashville, TN 37202, or fax 615-401-4642.
Appeal: 65 days from the original decision. Use this for a denial. You need the denial notice or remittance advice before you can file. Fill in HealthSpring's postservice appeal and claim dispute form and send it to HealthSpring Appeals, PO Box 650065, Dallas, TX 75265, or fax 855-699-8985. Decisions can take up to 60 days.
The 65 days is the one to watch. Cigna's commercial appeal window is 180 days, and a biller used to that will sit on a HealthSpring denial until it is too late. Set the appeal date in your billing system the day the remittance posts.
A late-filing denial usually shows on the remittance as CO-29, the time limit for filing has expired. The appeal that wins it is the one with proof: a clearinghouse or Availity acceptance report showing the claim was received inside the window.
Out-of-network providers
Non-contracted providers get 365 days from the date of service to file, which HealthSpring ties to Medicare standards. Claims received after that are denied for timely filing.
For appeals, the non-participating manual does not print a day count. Medicare Advantage plans generally give non-contracted providers 65 calendar days from the remittance date for a payment appeal, so work to that unless your denial letter says something else. Two rules are firm:
- Your appeal must include a signed Waiver of Liability statement, saying you will not bill the member whatever the outcome. Without it the appeal can be delayed or dismissed. The form is on CMS.gov.
- Send it to HealthSpring Medicare Advantage Appeals, PO Box 650059, Dallas, TX 75265. Payment disputes go to HealthSpring Noncontracted Payment Dispute, PO Box 1004, Nashville, TN 37202.
Payer ID and addresses
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Electronic claims | Payer ID 52192, through Availity Essentials (HealthSpring Medicare Advantage payer space) or your clearinghouse |
| Paper claims | HealthSpring, PO Box 23456, Chattanooga, TN 37421 |
| Documents HealthSpring asked for | HealthSpring Claims Intake, PO Box 20002, Nashville, TN 37228, or fax 615-401-4642 |
| Reconsiderations (participating) | PO Box 1004, Nashville, TN 37202, fax 615-401-4642 |
| Postservice appeals (participating) | PO Box 650065, Dallas, TX 75265, fax 855-699-8985 |
| Appeals (non-contracted) | PO Box 650059, Dallas, TX 75265, fax 855-350-8671 |
Need expedited appeal, phone or prior authorization numbers too? They are all in our payer claim address directory, each linked to HealthSpring’s own manual.
One change that is costing practices time: since March 18, 2026, claims sent through the old Cigna Medicare Enterprise Gateway are rejected with a "member not found" error. If you see that rejection on a HealthSpring patient, the claim never reached the payer and the filing clock is still running. Check that your clearinghouse is routing to payer ID 52192 and resend the same day.
The Availity payer space is only for providers contracted for Medicare Advantage. Non-contracted providers send claims through a clearinghouse or on paper.
When HealthSpring is the secondary payer
The October 2026 participating manual does not give a separate number of days for secondary claims. It says that once the other payer has paid, you send HealthSpring another copy of the claim with that payer's EOP.
Two things follow from that. First, the 180 days still count from the date of service, so a slow primary payer eats into HealthSpring's window. Second, send the secondary claim the same week the primary pays, with the EOP attached or the primary payment data in the electronic claim (payer ID 52192).
If HealthSpring asks for the EOP after the fact, fax it to 615-401-4642 or mail it to HealthSpring Claims Intake, PO Box 20002, Nashville, TN 37228.
How this differs from Cigna commercial
| Cigna commercial | HealthSpring | |
|---|---|---|
| Participating, new claim | 90 days | 180 days |
| Out-of-network, new claim | 180 days | 365 days |
| Appeal | 180 days | 65 days |
HealthSpring gives you longer to file and much less time to appeal. Original Medicare is different again, at one calendar year from the date of service. For Cigna's commercial plans, see our Cigna timely filing guide, and for the other big payers, timely filing limits by payer.
Habits that keep HealthSpring claims inside the window:
- Check the card at every visit. A patient who still shows a Cigna Medicare card in your system will send the claim to the wrong payer.
- Work rejections the same day. A rejected claim never reached HealthSpring.
- Put the 65-day appeal date on every denial as soon as the remittance posts.
- Keep the acceptance report for every claim. It is the only thing that wins a timely filing appeal.
If a HealthSpring claim comes back denied, our denial code lookup explains the code and the usual fix, and the free 835 ERA reader turns the remittance file into plain English.
Questions
What is the HealthSpring timely filing limit for secondary claims?
HealthSpring's 2026 manual does not set a separate secondary window. The claim still has to be filed within 180 days of the date of service for participating providers, so send it with the primary EOP as soon as the primary pays.
What is the HealthSpring timely filing limit?
Participating providers have 180 days from the date of service to submit a claim, unless their provider agreement says otherwise. Out-of-network providers have 365 days from the date of service. These are the numbers in HealthSpring's 2026 provider manuals.
What is the HealthSpring timely filing limit for corrected claims?
HealthSpring's 2026 manuals do not give corrected claims a separate window. A corrected claim is held to the same limit as any claim: 180 days from the date of service for participating providers and 365 days for out-of-network providers. Send it as a replacement claim inside that window.
How long do I have to appeal a HealthSpring claim?
A participating provider must file an appeal within 65 days of the original decision, unless the provider agreement says otherwise. You need a denial notice or remittance advice first. Appeals can take up to 60 days to decide.
Is HealthSpring the same as Cigna Medicare?
Yes, for providers it is. Health Care Service Corporation bought Cigna's Medicare Advantage, supplemental benefits and Part D business in 2025. From January 1, 2026 those plans are HealthSpring, and Cigna Medicare contracts carried over to HealthSpring.
What is the HealthSpring payer ID?
Use payer ID 52192 for HealthSpring Medicare Advantage claims, through Availity Essentials or your clearinghouse. Since March 18, 2026, claims sent through the old Cigna Medicare Enterprise Gateway are rejected with a member not found error.
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One page per address: PO Box 23456 Chattanooga, PO Box 1004 Nashville, PO Box 650065 Dallas, PO Box 650059 Dallas, PO Box 650075 Dallas, Fax 615-401-4642, Fax 855-699-8985, Fax 877-804-1679.
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- E/M downcoding: how to spot 99214 and 99215 cuts and get paid
- Corrected claim timely filing limits for 2026, payer by payer
- Aetna timely filing limit for 2026: new claims, corrected claims, appeals and Medicare
- Cigna and HealthSpring timely filing limit for 2026: new claims, corrected claims, appeals
- 7 common claim denial codes, and how to stop each one before it happens
- Humana timely filing limit for 2026: claims, corrected claims and appeals
- 190 new ICD-10 codes went live on October 1. Here's what breaks first on your claims.
- How much does medical billing cost in 2026? In-house vs outsourced, in real numbers
- Modifier 25 in 2027: what Medicare’s proposed 50% cut looks like in dollars
- Provider credentialing in medical billing: timelines, documents and CAQH in 2026
- Timely filing limits by payer for 2026, checked against each payer’s own manual
- UnitedHealthcare timely filing limit for 2026: claims, corrected claims and appeals
Free tools
- Payer claim addresses and fax numbers
- Free 835 ERA reader
- Denial code lookup
- Timely filing calculator
- Credentialing timeline calculator
Sources, read October 16, 2026 and rechecked October 28, 2026 against the participating manual updated October 2026: HealthSpring Provider Manual 2026, participating providers (claims submission, claim disputes and reconsiderations, provider claims dispute process and appeals); HealthSpring Provider Manual 2026, non-participating providers; HealthSpring, "Submitting claims" resource; HealthSpring provider news, "Welcome to HealthSpring" (January 1, 2026) and "Gateway claims change" (February 12, 2026). Deadlines in your own provider agreement take priority over the manual.