Cigna Medicare Advantage Plan Review in 2024

Medicare Advantage plans (MA plans) are one of the fastest-growing segments of the health insurance market. Cigna offers Medicare Advantage plans in 27 states, serving approximately 600,000 members. Cigna Healthcare operates in the United States and internationally. It is headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, with 74,000 employees and over 100 million customers worldwide.

The Utilization Review Accreditation Committee accredits Cigna for case management, health utilization, and pharmacy benefit management. Cigna offers supplemental insurance policies to help members plan for unforeseen circumstances like cancer, stroke, and heart attack, and a 24/7/365 call center service for its members.

Is Cigna good insurance?

Cigna offers various insurance coverage, including medical, dental, prescription drug, and international plans. Cigna offers low-cost Medicare Advantage plan options with mostly average industry ratings.

Cigna is known for embracing innovation and has launched various programs to promote health among its members. Programs such as the "Behavioral Center of Excellence" which is an innovative lab that enables Cigna teams to create behavioral health solutions for consumers and employees, the U.S. Loneliness Index, and Parachute Rx started during the COVID-19 pandemic to help members afford their prescriptions are some of the initiatives that make Cigna stand out as an innovative health insurance company. Despite these innovative measures, some Cigna plans have seen sliding member satisfaction in recent years.

Pros and cons of Cigna Medicare plans

When evaluating the pros and cons of Cigna Medicare Advantage plans, it is a good idea to utilize Cigna’s Compare Plans tool on their website to identify plans available in your area. Every Medicare Advantage plan, regardless of insurance carrier, is sold per zip code and county. The plans in a neighboring city might not be available in your area. We composed our list based on a general overview of Cigna’s plans.

Cigna Medicare Advantage plans: how does it work?

Medicare Advantage Plans, or Medicare Part C, offer an optional, consolidated way to receive Medicare Parts A and B benefits. Private insurance carriers, like Cigna, administer them, but Medicare regulates them. To be eligible to enroll in an MA Plan, you must be a Medicare beneficiary with Medicare Parts A and B coverage. MA plans comprise a few different insurance models and payment structures. Cigna Medicare Advantage Plans offer these insurance models: HMO, PPO, and SNP plans, described in more detail below.

PPO

Cigna Medicare Advantage PPO plans are “preferred provider networks,” meaning that to receive full coverage for services, you would need to use a provider within Cigna’s PPO network. You may see out-of-network providers, however, your costs will most likely be higher than seeing in-network providers. You may see a specialist without a referral.

HMO

Cigna Medicare Advantage HMO plans are “health maintenance organizations,” meaning to use this plan, you would need to choose a primary care provider (PCP) within Cigna’s HMO network that would coordinate your care. Your PCP would coordinate any required referrals to specialists for your care. If you used out-of-network providers, the cost would not be covered except in an emergency.

SNP

Cigna Medicare Advantage SNP plans are “special needs plans” designed for individuals with specific health or financial needs requiring higher care coordination. All SNP plans include Part D prescription coverage.

In addition to the plans listed above, Cigna also offers the following types of plans listed directly from the Cigna website:

Supplemental options

Cigna Healthcare’s Medicare Supplement plans are available in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Medicare Supplement plans offer flexible, affordable options and, in most states, premium discounts for customers of the same household. Cigna also offers companion products for Medicare customers, such as standalone dental plans and a combined plan including dental, vision, and hearing.

Standalone Prescription Drug plans

Three standalone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) will be available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. All plans have $0 copay options for select medications purchased through preferred home delivery.

• Cigna Saver Rx. This economical plan includes lower premiums, low copays and savings on generic drugs.
• Cigna Secure Rx. Available to serve customers wanting basic protection and those with a low-income subsidy.
• Cigna Extra Rx. Provides a high level of coverage with a robust drug list, an extensive pharmacy network, a low deductible, plus special savings with gap coverage.

Cigna Medicare Advantage benefits

Cigna Medicare Advantage offers an array of additional benefits. This list is not comprehensive. To view a complete list of potential benefits, speak with a Cigna representative.

• $0 or Low Premiums. Each Cigna market has a $0 premium plan, and most plans feature a $0 copay for primary care.
• Vision, Hearing, Dental. All Cigna MA plans offer dental, vision, and hearing benefits, home delivery of meals following hospitalization, and access to fitness benefits.
• Prescription Drug. Cigna offers prescription drug coverage with most MA plans as well as stand-alone Part D plans in all 50 States.
• Cigna Health Today Card. The card is available to all customers. It bundles benefits and incentives onto a single card for convenient use at more than 62,000 participating retailers nationwide. The card can include allowance on over-the-counter items, fitness supplies, utilities, groceries, meal delivery, $0 copays for telehealth, and more.
• Part B rebate plan. Most markets offer a plan with a rebate toward the member’s Medicare Part B monthly premium.
• 24/7 telehealth support. All Cigna members have access to 24/7 telehealth support.

The benefit availability may vary by zip code so be sure to check which ones are available in your area.

Cost of the Cigna Medicare Advantage plans

When evaluating the cost of a Medicare Advantage Plan, it is essential to consider the following insurance costs: premium, deductible, coinsurance/copay, and max-out-of-pocket costs. The national averages for Cigna’s Medicare Advantage Plan are listed below.

• Average Annual In-Network Out-of-Pocket Maximum — $5,276.
• Average monthly premium — $29.74 (includes Part C and Part D; average excludes $0 premiums)
• Average Annual Drug Deductible — $49.09.

This table includes sample Cigna MA plan costs that are currently available in Collin County, Texas.

Costs	Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)	Cigna Preferred Savings Medicare (HMO)	Cigna True Choice Courage Medicare (PPO)
Deductible	$0	$0	$0
Out-of-pocket-max	$3,100 In-network	$6,700 In-network	$5,700 In-network, $8,700 in and out-of-network
Primary doctor visit	$0 copay	$0 copay	In-network: $0 copay, out-of-network: 50% coinsurance per visit
Specialist visit	$25 copay per visit	$45 copay per visit	In-network: $30 copay per visit, out-of-network: 50% coinsurance per visit
Emergency care	$135 copay per visit (always covered)	$100 copay per visit (always covered)	$120 copay per visit (always covered)
Transportation	$0 copay	Not covered	In-network: $0 copay, in-network: $10 per day for days one through 20
Diagnostic radiology services (like MRI)	$0-150 copay	$0-325 copay	In-network: $0–150 copay, out-of-network: 50% coinsurance

Cigna Advantage plan reviews and ratings

Third-party ratings are an objective way to evaluate the quality of a Medicare Advantage plan. We chose the NCQA, CMS, and J.D. Power, which provide national quality service ratings and customer satisfaction.

	National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)	The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)	J.D. Power 2023 Medicare Advantage Study
Organization's Focus	A healthcare standard in evaluating quality that seeks to improve healthcare delivery by measuring data and holding organizations accountable.	Federal government organization responsible for regulating and evaluating the insurance carriers contracted to provide Medicare Advantage Plans.	Trusted global leader in data and analytics.
Rating Scale	Star Rating Scale of 1–5. One being the worst and 5 being the best	Star Rating Scale of 1–5. One being the worst and 5 being the best	Ranked 5 major state markets (CA, FL, NY, PA, TX) on overall customer satisfaction
Cigna's MA Plan Score	Average 2.5 to 3 NCQA Stars depending on location	Averaged 3.7 CMS Stars nationwide	Ranked #2 in Texas, but did not make the list for the other states

What to consider when choosing a Cigna Medicare Advantage plan

Considering the many options available, choosing a Medicare Advantage Plan can be overwhelming. Evaluating the following questions could help select a plan.

1. Overall Cost. What will my overall cost be considering not only monthly premiums but also deductibles, copays/coinsurance, drug costs, and out-of-pocket max cost?
2. Provider Network. Is my primary care physician in-network? What about my specialists, therapists, or preferred clinics?
3. Prescription Medications. Are my medications covered if I select a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription benefits? What tier are my commonly used medicines in?
4. Utilization. How often do I plan on using medical services? Do I have consistent monthly needs, or do I anticipate only seeing the doctor once or twice a year?

Cigna Medicare Advantage plans in 2024 offer many affordable plans with average industry ratings and innovative benefits.