Cigna, the fourth-largest insurer in the U.S. by membership, has received accolades — and scrutiny — in the last two months.
Here are 10 updates involving the company that could affect ASCs, as reported by Becker's since Sept. 5:
1. Cigna Group is reducing its workforce, according to posts by former employees on social media in October regarding layoffs they said are occurring across the company. Becker's has not confirmed an exact number of employees who may have been affected or when layoffs would be effective, and Cigna did not respond to questions about a reduction in force or if additional layoffs are planned.
2. Consumers' overall satisfaction with Cigna health insurance in 2023 earned the company a score of 72 out of 100, according to a report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
3. The Cigna Group's Evernorth Health Services is purchasing telehealth platform Bright.md for an undisclosed amount to enhance its existing virtual services through MDLive.
4. Cigna agreed to pay $150,000 to settle allegations from the Virginia Bureau of Insurance that it violated state law by failing to provide required balance billing disclosures. The department alleged that Cigna failed to provide its enrollees with an explanation of benefits. The payer did not admit or deny it violated Virginia law.
5. Health insurer Cigna was ordered to pay more than $172 million to settle claims that it submitted false diagnosis codes to Medicare Advantage from 2016 to 2021, and that it did not verify the accuracy of diagnosis codes reported by providers before submitting to CMS and reviewed charts to identify where it could receive additional payments from CMS, from 2014 to 2019. The company promised to enter a corporate integrity agreement for five years with HHS' Office of Inspector General.
6. Accredo Health Group, a specialty pharmacy owned by the Cigna Group, plans to expand its business in Delaware to grow its fulfillment abilities, move shipping operations in house, and address growth in the biosimilar and gene therapy drug markets.
7. The Cigna Group is facing a growing number of lawsuits from members and a shareholder following a ProPublica report that alleges the company denies large batches of members' claims without individual review, thereby denying them coverage for certain services. Class-action complaints have been filed in California, Minnesota and Delaware.
8. Cigna Healthcare launched a supplemental benefit designed to help employees diagnosed with musculoskeletal conditions. The program provides an annual payment of $3,000 to employees to help them cover out-of-pocket hospital costs or other expenses.
9. Cigna was ranked 69th on Time and Statista's list of the 750 best companies worldwide.
10. Cigna Healthcare launched a new international health benefits plan designed for "globally mobile" older adults. The market for international health plans aimed at older adults is expected to reach 450,000 people by 2025.