Cigna Health Insurance Review: Affordable but Subpar Customer Ratings
Editor's Rating
Cigna insurance plans include health, Medicare and dental policies for individuals and families. Customers have online access to their health insurance or dental plans through the Cigna website. But the health insurance company has below-average reviews and an above-average number of customer complaints.
Cigna is a good choice for cheap Medicare Advantage rates, but plan availability is limited. The company's individual plan prices are lower than competitors' in some states and more expensive in others.
Cigna health insurance plans and options
Cigna sells individual and Medicare health insurance plans, along with stand-alone dental and vision policies. Health plan availability varies by state:
- Individual plans are offered in 13 states: AZ, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, MO, MS, NC, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT and VA.
- Medicare Advantage plans are sold in 27 states and Washington, D.C.: AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, MD, MS, MO, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA and WA.
- Medicare Supplement plans are available in Washington, D.C., and every state but Massachusetts and New York.
- Dental plans are available in 50 states and Washington, D.C. Some dental plans are bundled with vision and hearing coverage.
Cigna individual health insurance
You can buy Cigna individual health insurance through your state or the federal health insurance exchange. Customers can get individual policies there if they can't get health insurance through an employer or a state or federal program such as Medicare or Medicaid. Plans are HMO or EPO plans, depending on where you live.
Cigna offers four tiers of individual coverage that vary in cost, deductibles and coinsurance benefits. Within the tiers, Cigna provides multiple plan options that vary by state.
Below are the average rates for each metal tier sold in Virginia.
Metal tier | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Bronze | $357 |
| Expanded Bronze | $375 |
| Silver | $485 |
| Gold | $447 |
Average monthly rates in each tier for a 40-year-old in Virginia.
You can only buy Cigna's individual insurance plans via the marketplace during your state's open enrollment period or if you qualify for a special enrollment period (SEP).
Cigna vs. competitors: Average cost by state
Cigna has moderate plan prices overall, but whether it's the best deal depends on where you live. For instance, Cigna offers very good rates in Illinois and Missouri, where you may spend $100 per month less than average. But prices are poor in Arizona, where you might spend $100 more per month on Cigna than the average cost in the state.
Cigna's individual plan rates are higher than competitors' in some states and lower in others.
State | Cigna's average cost | State overall average |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $677 | $577 |
| Colorado | $379 | $409 |
| Florida | $568 | $585 |
| Georgia | $427 | $394 |
| Illinois | $454 | $556 |
Average monthly cost for a 40-year-old purchasing a Silver plan.
In Virginia, Cigna has low- to mid-range prices among competitor plans. Below we compared Cigna with Kaiser Permanente, Anthem HealthKeepers and Oscar.
Find Cheap Health Insurance in Your Area
In a state like Illinois or Missouri where Cigna is a cheaper option, it may be the best value. But you'll want to consider other factors like customer service and how a company manages its plans. For example, Kaiser and UnitedHealthcare generally rate well with members and are worth a look if they're sold in your area.
Where Cigna rates are higher, such as in Arizona, we recommend looking at plans from Oscar or UnitedHealthcare.
Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement
For Medicare enrollees, Cigna offers Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Supplement policies.
Cigna Medicare Advantage plans have different monthly rates, deductibles and copays based on where you live and which plan you buy. Your costs also depend on the policy type — HMO, PPO or HMO-POS — and whether you use network providers.
Cigna Medicare Advantage plans bundle Medicare Part A and Part B benefits into one policy, and most add dental, vision and prescription coverage.
The company's sole HMO-POS plan, Cigna Premier Medicare, is available only in Illinois and Tennessee.
Nationally, the average price of a Cigna Medicare Advantage HMO is $10, and Cigna's Medicare Advantage PPO plans cost an average of $3.
Cigna HMO options
Cigna PPO options
- Cigna Alliance Medicare
- Cigna Fundamental Medicare
- Cigna Preferred Medicare
- Cigna Preferred Plus Medicare
- Cigna Preferred Savings Medicare
- Cigna Primary Medicare
Cigna HMO options
- Cigna Alliance Medicare
- Cigna Fundamental Medicare
- Cigna Preferred Medicare
- Cigna Preferred Plus Medicare
- Cigna Preferred Savings Medicare
- Cigna Primary Medicare
Cigna PPO options
- Cigna Fundamental Medicare
- Cigna Preferred Medicare
- Cigna True Choice Medicare
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare
Medicare Supplement plans, also called Medigap plans, cover the costs left over after Medicare pays its share of your health services. Of the 10 Medicare Supplement plans available, Cigna offers only A, F, G and N. But three of those plans — F, G and N — are the most popular among Medicare enrollees.
Cigna plans offer the following standardized benefits:
Plan A | Plan F | Plan G | Plan N | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicare Part A coinsurance | ||||
| Medicare Part B coinsurance | ||||
| Blood (3 pints) | ||||
| Part A hospice care coinsurance | ||||
| Skilled nursing facility coinsurance | ||||
| Medicare Part A deductible | ||||
| Medicare Part B deductible | ||||
| Medicare Part B excess charges | ||||
| Foreign travel emergency | 80% | 80% | 80% |
The foreign travel benefit pays 80% of certain emergency services outside the U.S. after you meet a $250 yearly deductible.
Keep in mind that you can only buy a Medigap Plan F and high-deductible Plan F if you started Medicare before Jan. 1, 2020. This would apply, for example, if you began Medicare in December 2019 but were covered by an employer plan in the interim.
Members of Cigna Medicare Supplement plans might qualify for a household premium discount. When multiple people from a household are enrolled in the same Medicare Supplement policy, they are eligible for a discounted monthly rate. Cigna also provides a Healthy Rewards benefit with discounts on health and wellness programs and a health info line with 24/7 phone access to a licensed nurse.
Cigna dental insurance
Cigna dental insurance plans can be combined with your health insurance or you can get a separate policy. Dental policies are available in three coverage tiers and vary in monthly costs and annual deductibles:
Plan name | Monthly cost | Deductible | Preventive care | Restorative care | Orthodontia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigna Dental Preventive | $19 | $0 | $0 copay | Not covered | Not covered |
| Cigna Dental 1000 | $33 | $50 | $0 copay | Covered up to $1,000 | Not covered |
| Cigna Dental 1500 | $39 | $50 | $0 copay | Covered up to $1,500 | Covered up to $1,000 |
The Cigna Dental 1500 plan is the only policy with coverage for orthodontia. All Cigna dental insurance plans have the same provider networks, meaning you don't need to select a higher-level plan to gain access to a particular doctor. It's cheaper to use a Cigna dental provider, but you can still get coverage if you go outside the network.
Member benefits and resources
Cigna customers can take advantage of benefits like an online portal and the myCigna mobile app. You can use these tools to monitor claims, view their Cigna health ID cards and find in-network doctors. Cigna enrollees can also sign up for recurring medication delivery through Express Scripts. Pharmacists are on call to answer questions and fill prescriptions 24/7. Cigna also provides free or low-cost preventive care and 24/7 access to virtual care.
Cigna Medicare Supplement members have access to the Healthy Rewards program, which provides deals on health and wellness products.
The company also has a health info line that members can call at any time for guidance. While phones are staffed by licensed nurses, they do not provide medical advice.
Financial strength and customer reviews
While Cigna rates can be good, customers say the provider network is small and the service is poor when it comes to managing claims. In fact, the company has more complaints than expected for a company of its size, as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). But Cigna's NAIC score for Medicare Supplement coverage was 0.73, which reflects fewer complaints compared to similar-sized companies.
Cigna's Medicare Advantage HMO plans has lower ratings than most competitors due to member concerns with Cigna's customer service and how care was managed. Scores were 2.5 to 3.5 out of a possible 5 as reported by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which rates health plans on performance and customer satisfaction. Cigna Medicare Advantage PPO plans have an overall 3.5 NCQA rating.
Cigna is financially stable, as reflected in its AM Best financial strength rating and Standard & Poor's rating. Cigna has an "A" rating from both companies.
Frequently asked questions
What states are covered by Cigna?
States covered by Cigna vary depending on the plan type. For example, individual marketplace plans are sold in only 13 states, while you can get a Cigna Medicare Supplement plan in Washington, D.C., and any state but Massachusetts and New York.
Should I get a Cigna PPO or HMO?
Choosing between a Cigna PPO and HMO depends on your personal health needs. If you're OK using network providers and getting specialist referrals, HMO plans are typically a good choice and can save you money. If you need the option to get care outside a plan's network, a PPO may be the better option. But keep in mind that you usually pay more when using out-of-network providers.
Is Cigna private or public insurance?
A plan that you buy through Cigna is private insurance. This includes an individual policy through the health insurance exchange, Medicare Advantage or dental and vision coverage. Examples of public insurance are government-run health programs such as Original Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Is Cigna good insurance?
Cigna has good rates overall but below-average customer satisfaction scores. And Cigna individual health and Medicare Advantage plans are not widely available. By comparison, UnitedHealthcare and Humana sell cheap, well-rated Medicare Advantage plans throughout the U.S. For low-cost individual insurance with top ratings, consider Kaiser Permanente if plans are available where you live, or a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan with medium-range rates and good customer satisfaction scores.
Methodology
Our team collected sample quotes for Cigna and three competitors to understand how its prices stack up. Cost comparisons were developed using 2022 public use files from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). We also gathered sample rates for Cigna's dental offerings from the company's website.
To analyze Cigna's customer service, we collected customer service ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). We also considered financial health based on AM Best and Standard & Poor's ratings.