About
Formed in 1982 by a merger between the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CG) and the INA Corporation, Cigna is currently one of the largest providers of health insurance, dental insurance, disability insurance, and life and accident insurance. In August 2018, Cigna bought the pharmacy administration company Express Scripts.
See our comprehensive review here
Cigna no longer offers individual life insurance, but Policygenius can help you find an affordable life insurance policy by comparing other companies.
Special Features
Cigna has wide-reaching networks in the states where is it is available. Even if your current doctor is not available on the Cigna network, you can petition to get in-network rates for their services through Cigna’s Transition of Care program.
Prescriptions & Drugs
Cigna plans cover both brand names and generic drugs, with generic drugs costing less than brand name drugs. If you need a drug that’s not on their formulary (their master list of drugs they cover), you can appeal for a specific drug. If accepted, this drug will be covered at a pre-determined cost. You can also appeal for more expensive drugs to have their cost lowered if the cheaper version of that drug is not as effective in treating you. You can find the full Cigna formulary by visiting this site and selecting your state.
Learn more about prescription drug coverage.
Enrollment process
You can browse all plans on the Obamacare health insurance marketplace on healthcare.gov, and sort and filter those plans based on your preferences and budget.
Once you’ve selected a health insurance plan, enrolling in that plan is easy. You fill out a short online form, then complete the final step with a quick enrollment phone call with a licensed agent. On that call, the licensed agent will verify your identity, double-check eligibility and answer any questions you may have. For certain insurers, who don’t permit private brokers to enroll customers, you’ll have to enroll directly with the insurer or on your state’s marketplace (these plans will be noted).
After you enroll in a health insurance plan, you will get your membership materials (including your member ID card) and the first premium bill directly from the health insurance company. You are responsible for paying the bill to ensure that your coverage goes into effect, and to keep current on those payments.
Claims Process
Generally, your health services provider should make your claim for you. If, however, they did not make your claim or you visited an out-of-network provider, you can submit a claim directly to Cigna. Fill out the claim form PDF from this page along with your original bill to the address on the back of your health insurance card.
Cigna review
Cigna is a bigger player in the group (employer) market than the individual and family market. However, it is still one of the larger and more recognized health insurance companies and provides a variety of plan types and a broad network in its state footprint. Cigna generally provides richer plans with higher premiums for a given level of benefits. Also, with the Anthem-Cigna acquisition, plan offerings may be in flux going forward.
Basics & ratings
Founded | JD Power Rating | # of Policyholders | A.M. Best Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
1982 | 3 out of 5 | 16 million | A |
Overall score
We evaluated this health insurance company using publicly available data on patient care & satisfaction, customer service and costs (premiums) versus similar plans on the market.
Quality & Satisfaction | Affordability |
|---|---|
3 out of 5 | 3 out of 5 |