"The Big Picture" Newsletter

October 2009 Issue

More Than One Million Move to Choice Fund

Powerful Differentiators Set CIGNA Apart in CDHP Market

Since CIGNA launched its Choice Fund product four years ago, growth in consumer driven health plans has exploded, with banks and boutique organizations jumping on the bandwagon. Today, CIGNA remains a leader in the CDHP market, with over one million individuals now participating in our account-based plans.

A closer look at CIGNA Choice Fund clearly illustrates why CIGNA remains the better choice for clients and individuals looking for innovative quality health programs that can deliver immediate and sustainable cost savings.

“From the start, our CDHP programs were different,” says Will Giaconia, senior director of CDHP products.  “We’ve never been about cost shifting, because we know that’s merely a short-term, quick-fix solution to rising cost,” he explains.  “Our CDHP products are focused on shifting consumer behaviors, because that’s what’s really driving higher costs and that’s where the real sustainable cost savings will come from.”

Results of the company’s third consecutive CDHP study prove the “behavior shift” strategy is on the mark.  Individuals in the company’s CDHP program have made significant improvements in the way they seek, find and consume health care services, and those shifts have delivered sustainable double-digit medical cost savings year over year.  Here’s a quick look at some of the most recent study highlights:

CIGNA Choice Fund 2009 Study Results
When compared to Traditional plans, individuals in CIGNA Choice Fund programs are:

• 2x more likely to register and use online cost and quality comparison tools
• 2x to 7x more likely to complete a health assessment
• 8% -14% higher users of preventive care services
• More compliant with prescription drugs

These shifts in the way individuals use health care services have allowed clients to dramatically reduce their costs -- without cost shifting.   

When compared to Traditional plans, clients with CIGNA Choice Fund programs see:

• Dramatic first year savings
• 13% lower medical costs
• 10% lower pharmacy costs
• Strong continued savings in the following years
• 14% lower medical costs in year 2
• 16% lower medical costs in year 3
• No change to out-of-pocket expenses for individuals in the plans

Equally important, individuals moving to our consumer driven health plans are satisfied with their experience, which is critical to the long-term success of these programs.

• J.D. Power and Associates’ 2009 national health insurance plan study found that when compared to competitor programs, CIGNA Choice Fund leads the market in customer satisfaction. 
• Internal CIGNA studies show that Choice Fund customer satisfaction ratings are “equal to or better” than those in our traditional plans.

These are all real indications that CIGNA’s differentiated approach to CDHP is working.

Contact your CIGNA sales representative to learn more about CIGNA Choice Fund and see how we can build a CDHP that can improve health and deliver sustainable costs savings for your clients.

<< October 2009 Big Picture newsletter