Cigna Medicare Advantage plans provide hospitalization and medical insurance, and most include prescription drug benefits. Some plans also offer varying amounts of dental, vision, and hearing coverage.
Because the plans provide several areas of coverage, people sometimes call them all-in-one bundles.
Medicare Advantage plan costs include copays, coinsurance, deductibles, and monthly premiums. The costs will vary among plans and among different service areas around the United States.
This article discusses Cigna and Medicare Advantage plans. It also examines the types of Medicare Advantage plan that Cigna offer, as well as coverage, eligibility requirements, and costs.
We may use a few terms in this piece that can be helpful to understand when selecting the best insurance plan:
- Deductible: This is an annual amount that a person must spend out of pocket within a certain time period before an insurer starts to fund their treatments.
- Coinsurance: This is a percentage of a treatment cost that a person will need to self-fund. For Medicare Part B, this comes to 20%.
- Copayment: This is a fixed dollar amount that an insured person pays when receiving certain treatments. For Medicare, this usually applies to prescription drugs.
Cigna are a global health insurance company that offer policies in 50 states and 16 countries. They have more than 15 million policyholders.
In the U.S., they offer three kinds of Medicare plan:
- Advantage
- Part D
- Medigap
In addition, Cigna sell non-Medicare health plans for individuals, families, and business employees. Other Cigna policies include international plans for people living abroad and standalone dental plans.
Medicare Advantage is an alternative to original Medicare. Original Medicare comprises Part A, which hospitalization insurance, and Part B, which is medical insurance.
Medicare Part C, or Medicare Advantage, provides benefits from parts A and B and often includes prescription drug coverage. Medicare Advantage plans generally have free programs that promote health, and some plans offer extra benefits, such as dental and vision care.
Private companies offer Medicare Advantage plans and operate a network of hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers. Some plans require people to choose from providers within the network, while others allow them to choose from providers outside the network. In most cases, out-of-network providers involve higher costs.
In addition to parts A, B, and C, Medicare also includes Part D, which is prescription drug coverage, and supplement insurance, called Medigap.
Part D and Medigap plans do not work with Medicare Advantage plans, as they are available only to individuals with original Medicare.
Cigna Advantage plans are available in 18 states and Washington D.C. The list below covers the types of plan available:
- Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans: These typically require a person to use in-network providers. Exceptions to this rule are providers for emergency care, out-of-area dialysis, and out-of-area urgent care.
- HMO Point-of-Service (HMO-POS) plans: These are HMO plans that allow a person to receive some services from out-of-network providers. However, these providers involve higher costs.
- Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans: These offer people the flexibility of choosing from in-network or out-of-network providers. As with HMO-POS plans, the PPO out-of-network providers are more costly.
- Special Needs Plans (SNPs): These are only available to people who have certain conditions. SNPs tailor medications, providers, and benefits to meet the particular needs of each individual.
Companies that sell Medicare Advantage plans do not necessarily offer every type. Cigna, for example, do not sell the following two plan types:
- Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans: These have set fees that they pay a provider and set fees that a person pays for each service. An individual may use any provider who accepts the PFFS terms.
- Medical savings account (MSA) plans: These deposit money from Medicare into a person’s bank account. Someone with an MSA plan may use the money for healthcare costs.
Cigna Advantage plans cover the hospitalization and medical insurance of parts A and B, along with the following perks:
- free medication management
- free emotional and behavioral support
- free case managers to help people manage their chronic conditions
- 24/7 telehealth services
- discounts on wellness services, such as acupuncture
Most Cigna Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage. The company also provide a medication management program to help lower the risk of drug errors.
Aside from the above benefits, some plans may also offer:
- vision care
- dental care
- hearing care
- over-the-counter drug allowance
- one-way transportation to certain health services
People can use the company’s online tool to find details about Medicare Advantage plans available in their area.
A person is eligible for most Medicare Advantage plans if they live in the service area covered by the plan and are enrolled in original Medicare (parts A and B).
An exception to the eligibility requirements listed above is for SNPs, which limits membership to:
A person with a Medicare Advantage plan must pay the Medicare Part B monthly premium, which is $148.50 in 2021. Other costs include the plan’s deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and monthly premium. Advantage plans put an annual limit on healthcare expenses.
Costs vary with the plans and the areas they service. People can compare Cigna Medicare Advantage plans, including those in the table below, by using this online search tool and entering the relevant zip code.
| City | Plan name | Monthly premium | Primary care doctor copay | Specialist copay or coinsurance | Inpatient hospitalization copay | Yearly out-of-pocket limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore, MD Zip: 21201 | Cigna Traditions Medicare (HMO-I-SNP) | $32.30 | $0 | 15% | $390 per day for days 1–5 $0 for days 6–90 | $6,900 |
| Phoenix, AZ Zip: 85001 | Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO) | $0 | $0 | $5 | $185 per day for days 1–7 $0 per day for days 8–90 | $3,200 |
| Chicago, IL Zip: 60007 | Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO) | $0 | $0 (in-network) | $30 (in-network) | $300 per day for days 1–6 $0 for days 7–90 (in-network) | $4,400 |
| Philadelphia, PA Zip: 19019 | Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO) | $29 | $0 | $35 | $275 per day for days 1–7 $0 for days 8–90 | $5,900 |
| Mobile, AL Zip: 36525 | Cigna Preferred Plus Medicare (HMO) | $29 | $0 | $0 | $442 per day for days 1–6 $0 for days 7–90 | $4,100 |
Cigna Advantage plans provide an alternative way of getting the benefits of parts A and B of original Medicare. The plans also include benefits that original Medicare does not offer, such as prescription drug coverage and dental care.
Most Cigna Advantage plans require a person to choose in-network providers. Although some plans permit people to use out-of-network providers, they tend to be more costly.
The benefits, costs, and features of Medicare Advantage plans vary widely. Because of the differences, a person may wish to consider all the plans in their area before making a choice.