Pros
- Lower premiums and deductibles than competitors
- Significant wellness initiatives and healthy lifestyle discounts
- A wide array of coverage plans
Cons
- High consumer complaints
- Mixed regional customer satisfaction ratings
Cigna Insurance Review [2024]
Written By:
With a history dating back to 1792, Cigna’s longevity and commitment to providing better customer care sets itself apart from rivals. There’s no doubt that Cigna offers extensive coverage options, but does it live up to expectations? This review analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a plan with Cigna, its coverage options, and a comparison of its rates alongside those of its competitors. We’ll also delve into the consumer experience, regional availability, and how to purchase a Cigna plan on the ACA marketplace.
Our Take on Cigna
Cigna health insurance distinguishes itself with lower deductibles for Silver Plans, providing a cost advantage over competitors. Their commitment to wellness is evident through substantial initiatives and discounts for healthy lifestyle choices, and its wide array of coverage options means that Cigna can provide a plan that caters to any need.
However, challenges emerge in consumer satisfaction metrics. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Cigna faces elevated consumer complaints. Regional disparities in customer satisfaction, highlighted by J.D. Power’s ratings, reveal a mixed picture, with high rankings in some regions but lower scores in others, most notably in California, Colorado, and Florida.
Balancing competitive premiums and comprehensive coverage, potential policyholders should consider these factors based on their priorities and location when considering Cigna.
Cigna at a Glance
Where Cigna stands out
Extensive network coverage: Cigna policyholders generally have more choices than those with other providers. They can typically choose from a larger pool of doctors, specialists, clinics, and other medical facilities.
Diverse plan options: Cigna provides a variety of insurance plans, allowing individuals and families to select coverage that aligns with their specific needs and budget. This includes options such as Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), and Indemnity Plans, among others.
Wellness programs: Cigna often includes wellness programs in their coverage, promoting preventative care and healthy lifestyle choices, which can lead to potential cost savings in the long run.
What could be improved
Claims processing: Cigna’s claims processing has faced criticism, with some policyholders expressing dissatisfaction due to delays and complications in claim settlements. A recent lawsuit has highlighted these issues, suggesting that the company’s claims processing may not always align with the prompt and efficient service that customers expect, raising concerns about transparency and efficiency.
Regional limitations: For individuals acquiring health insurance through the ACA marketplace, it’s important to note that Cigna’s plans are not available in all 50 states. This can exclude coverage options for those residing in states where Cigna doesn’t participate in the marketplace.
Cigna compared to the competition
Understanding the cost of health insurance is crucial in making an informed decision about coverage. In the following table, we compare Cigna’s premiums for its Silver Flex Plan with those of key competitors. The results shown are for a 30-year-old potential policyholder.
Available discounts
Policy bundling advantage: Cigna encourages customers to combine health insurance with other insurance products they offer, such as dental or vision coverage. This bundling can result in a multi-policy discount, leading to cost savings for the policyholders.
Healthy lifestyle incentives: Cigna provides discounts of up to 25% for policyholders who actively engage in wellness programs. This includes subscribing to services like Jenny Craig, where participants can receive discounts as a reward for their commitment to weight management and healthier eating habits or incentives for incorporating alternative health practices into their routine — such as acupuncture or chiropractic services.
Employer-sponsored discounts: For those with employer-sponsored Cigna plans, additional discounts or cost-sharing benefits might be available through workplace wellness initiatives.
Prescription savings: Cigna offers discounts on prescription medications through preferred pharmacy networks or mail-order services, helping to reduce out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs.
What Health Insurance Coverage Options Are Available?
ACA Marketplace Plans (Bronze to Platinum): Cigna offers a range of health insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, catering to various needs. Plans vary from Bronze, with lower premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs, to Platinum, with higher premiums and lower out-of-pocket costs, providing flexibility based on individual preferences and budget.
Employer-Sponsored Group Insurance: Cigna provides comprehensive health insurance options through employer-sponsored group plans. These plans often include various coverage options, such as medical, dental, and vision, tailored to meet the needs of employees and their families.
Medicare Plans: Cigna offers Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans. Medicare Advantage plans combine hospital and medical coverage, often with additional benefits like prescription drug coverage. Medigap plans help fill gaps in original Medicare coverage.
Additional coverage options
Dental Insurance: Cigna offers dental insurance plans to help cover the costs of preventative, essential, and major dental services. These plans often include coverage for routine check-ups, cleanings, and more extensive procedures like fillings or crowns.
Disability Insurance: Cigna provides financial protection in the event of a disabling injury or illness. Disability insurance can replace a portion of income during a qualifying claim, helping individuals and families maintain financial stability.
Accident Insurance: Cigna’s accident insurance covers unexpected medical expenses resulting from accidents. This can include hospital stays, emergency room visits, and other costs associated with accidental injuries.
Life Insurance: Cigna offers life insurance policies to provide financial security for loved ones in the event of the policyholder’s death. Policies may include various coverage options, such as term or permanent life insurance, offering flexibility based on individual needs.
Supplemental Insurance: Cigna’s supplemental insurance plans aim to fill gaps in coverage not addressed by standard health insurance. These plans may cover specific needs, such as critical illness, hospital indemnity, or other unforeseen medical expenses.
Cigna Health Insurance Consumer Experience
Cigna’s health insurance consumer experience, as reported by J.D. Power’s 2023 Commercial Member Health Plan study, reveals regional variations in customer satisfaction. Notably, Cigna excels in New Jersey, achieving the top position and demonstrating above-average results in regions like the Northeast, East South Central, and the Heartland. However, the picture differs in California, Colorado, and Florida, where Cigna ranks below average. The lowest rankings are observed in Maryland and Illinois.
These regional differences in satisfaction are attributed to various factors, including the ease of filing a claim, the efficiency of the claims process, and the perceived level of customer care. Understanding these nuances can be crucial for individuals considering Cigna health insurance, as it highlights the importance of evaluating customer satisfaction metrics based on their specific location and priorities.
Where Can You Get Cigna Health Insurance in the United States?
Cigna health insurance is available throughout the United States — however, its participation in the ACA marketplace is state-specific.
As of 2023, Cigna offers ACA plans in:
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Mississippi
Missouri
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
How Much Does Cigna Health Insurance Cost?
The cost of Cigna health insurance varies based on the specific plan chosen. Minimum coverage ACA plans can start at around $296 per month, totaling approximately $4200 annually. More comprehensive options like advanced bronze or silver plans range from $312 to $391 monthly. Employer-sponsored plans often have lower interest rates due to employer contributions, making them a cost-effective choice for individuals covered through their workplace.
How To Buy Cigna Health Insurance
Visit Healthcare.gov, the official website for the Health Insurance Marketplace, during the open enrollment period.
Create a secure account on the Marketplace website. Depending on your state and whether it has its own marketplace, the website may redirect you to the appropriate website for your state.
Fill out the application form with accurate details about your household, income, and other relevant information. This helps determine your eligibility for subsidies or Medicaid.
Once your application is processed, explore available health insurance plans. Look specifically for Cigna plans and compare coverage, premiums, and out-of-pocket costs.
Choose a Cigna plan that best fits your healthcare needs and budget. Consider coverage levels (Bronze to Platinum) and additional benefits.
Review your selected plan, ensuring it meets your requirements. Confirm your choice and proceed to the enrollment confirmation page.
Set up a secure payment method to cover your monthly premiums. This is usually done through the Marketplace website or your state’s version of it.
Wait for confirmation of your enrollment. Once confirmed, you’ll receive information about your coverage start date and any additional steps needed.
Cigna Health Insurance FAQ
Methodology
Expertise’s health insurance rating methodology takes into account the following details about each company:
Financial strength: This category examines a company’s ability to pay future claims based on assessments from independent agencies like AM Best and Demotech. Companies with a higher score from these third-party companies ranked higher in this category.
Customer satisfaction: Ratings from the Better Business Bureau are a valuable metric for assessing overall customer satisfaction with health insurance companies. By utilizing BBB ratings, we gained access to a comprehensive evaluation of each company’s performance in areas like customer service, reliability, and transparency. Companies with a higher score ranked higher in this category.
Coverage availability: Our team examined state availability for each company and rated companies with more availability higher than competitors.
Consumer experience: For this category, our team reviewed each company’s website, mobile app, quote tool, and customer service availability.
Consumer complaints: Our team reviewed complaints to state regulators as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size or share of total premiums in the industry. The NAIC assigns a median complaint ratio of 1.0. Companies with an NAIC complaint score of less than 1 scored higher in this category.
Premium cost: This category assesses health insurance costs based on the quotes we gathered from each company for a 30-year-old potential policyholder. We prioritized Silver plans offering moderate premiums alongside lower deductibles to ensure a balanced review. Companies that provided lower quotes scored higher in this category.
To score companies in these categories, we collected data points from the companies' websites, company representatives, state regulator data, and third-party analyses.
These data points were then compared against each other and given a star rating score, where one star represents a poor rating and a five-star score represents an excellent rating. To calculate the star rating, we looked at each company’s total weighted score, divided by the maximum score, and multiplied by five.
Our ratings are weighted based on our editorial opinions. We use the following weightings for our homeowner’s insurance company ratings:
Financial strength (20%)
Customer satisfaction (15%)
Coverage availability (10%)
Consumer experience (20%)
Consumer complaints (15%)
Premium cost (20%)
Expertise.com StaffAuthor
Step into the world of Expertise.com, your go-to hub for credible insights. We don't take accuracy lightly around here. Our squad of expert reviewers, each a maestro in their field, has given the green light to every single article you'll find. From rigorous fact-checking to meticulous evaluations of service providers, we've got it all covered. So feel free to dive in and explore. The information you'll uncover has been stamped with the seal of approval by our top-notch experts.
