Pros
CIGNA is a national company that can leverage it's financial strength and size. There is no penny pinching here. The CIGNA name and brand recognition is strong. In an industry where providers and insurance companies are at constant odds, CIGNA has one of the best reputations and relationships with providers. Although not always the most competitively priced, CIGNA presents a high level of value and a high level of customer service that has all but disappeared in this industry. Customer retention is very high and in some markets is more than double the competitions retention levels. Personal satisfaction comes in those victory stories you hear when a members life has been improved or even saved because somebody within CIGNA cared enough to do something. The company internally promotes caring.
Kontras
CIGNA is a national company which is good and bad. Sometimes we are too big to get moving fast enough. CIGNA can interpret and read the market environment very well and then develop a product for the market conditions. CIGNA operates in a "hurry-up, wait and see" mode. They conceptualize the product, devise the product, perfect the product and then sit back and shelve the product. CIGNA would rather watch how United HealthCare and Aetna do with it before they market it. Far too conservative in their approach. This has hurt them in the past. As the market was embracing the CDHP movement, CIGNA developed the product for CDHP and then the the tools to accompany the CDHP. Then CIGNA sat on their hands; too timid to act (actuaial fear). Aetna and United HealthCare went out full speed ahead and took a huge chunk of CIGNA's National account business and then beat CIGNA to the punch in the Middle Market (many companies rarely switch carriers in the Middle Market in less than 8 years). Finally, the employee health benefits (an oxymoron) are horrible most particularly if you have children, a chronic illness or are expecting to undergo a major procedure. Although the monthly contribution has decreased a bit the out of pocket expenses are through the roof. Ancillary benefits (life, dental & 401K etc) are sufficient.
