Cigna plans to develop its enterprise of promoting particular person protection beneath the Inexpensive Care Act for 2023 to a few new states.
Cigna, which has been a long-standing supplier of particular person protection beneath the Inexpensive Care Act with 340,000 enrollees in such health plans today, may have “the potential to achieve roughly 730,000 extra clients in 2023,” the corporate mentioned Monday. The three new states are: Texas, Indiana and South Carolina.
“With this growth, pending last regulatory approvals, Cigna will provide particular person and household plans on the person exchanges in 363 counties spanning 16 states, together with Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia,” the corporate mentioned in its announcement.
Cigna is amongst a number of medical insurance firms increasing into new markets for 2023 to promote particular person protection, often known as Obamacare, on public exchanges beneath the ACA.
The selections to broaden are partly pushed by a significantly better regulatory setting due to the Biden administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress, which have made strikes to bolster the well being regulation and broaden medical insurance choices to extra Individuals.
As one instance, the Biden administration Friday announced an “historic funding of practically $100 million” on “navigators” that assist join individuals to well being protection.
“This can be a historic funding to attach individuals to high-quality, reasonably priced well being care,” Well being and Humana Companies Secretary Xavier Becerra mentioned. “Final 12 months, our investments helped end result within the lowest uninsured price in our nation’s historical past. This 12 months, we’re doubling down on our efforts to make sure individuals get the insurance coverage they want. Navigators critically assist us attain individuals the place they’re, educating them on their medical insurance choices that may be lifesaving.”
The spending on navigators can also be anticipated to spice up enrollment, which can be good for well being insurers.
However the market can be aggressive given expansions of well being insurers providing extra advantages than previous years.
“As a society, we proceed to see a big want for a aggressive and sustainable particular person market, which is why Cigna has maintained its presence on the ACA Market since 2014 and continues to broaden into new areas,” Charles Berg, president of Cigna’s U.S. Authorities enterprise mentioned. “By increasing into geographic areas the place we now have robust supplier partnerships, we’re capable of provide extra individuals entry to reasonably priced, high quality care that helps create superior well being outcomes.”