1. 5527 POINTS
    Marlin McKelvy
    President, Consumer Directed Benefit Solutions, Memphis, Tennessee
    Depending upon your point of view, one could say that virtually all major health insurance carriers are equally good or bad in today's marketplace.  The health insurance industry has been highly regulated at the state level for decades and with the Affordable Care Act we have an entirely new set of Federal regulations for health insurer's to comply with.

    So, yes, CIGNA offers excellent services.  So, do AETNA, Assurant, Humana, United Healthcare and scores of other options around the nation.  Defining how "good" CIGNA is versus any of its national competitors is a subjective exercise that means different things to different people.  In the new health insurance marketplace of 2014 the informed buyer will have to understand that the insurance carriers have to devise different ways of covering up to $6250 in potential financial exposure per person in different plan design configurations and price points.  The insurance carriers has to come up with their own ideas as to how to have plan designs that fit into the new "Bronze, Silver, Gold & Platinum" allowed by the law.  Right now that can translate into some very meaningful benefit plan design differences between insurance carriers and within the same "metallic' tier level.  You may have one insurance carrier offering only high deductible plans while a competitor may offer some plans with different office visit and/or prescription copayments and yet they both fall within the range of being qualified "Bronze or Silver" plan designs.

    Upon examination they will find that the various carrier's first attempts at plan designs have yielded results that are often confusing, inconsistent and can be make it even more difficult for the non-insurance person to see the value differences between various carrier's plans.  This is where you start to come to those intersections of Price, Benefits and Network that help drive a person's buying decision.

    At certain price points and for certain of their plan design's overall benefits, CIGNA can offer some of the best coverage for the dollar in today's marketplace.  The are a nationally recognized brand with an large, national provider network and a growing offering of value added programs designed to keep their members healthy or effectively manage the chronically ill. 

    While no one can say that any insurance carrier is the "best" in each and every way and every location.  CIGNA strives for a consistency across the large number of various insured populations they serve.  I can feel comfortable in saying that CIGNA should be part of your consideration in the individual and large group market segments.
    Answered on May 19, 2014
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