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CIGNA Adds Medicare Advantage Private Fee-for-Service Plans to Its Low Cost Medicare Part D Offerings in Six Counties in Virginia

Posted on: Friday, 21 December 2007, 15:00 CST

CIGNA has announced that its Medicare Advantage Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS) plans are now available to Medicare beneficiaries in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton and Portsmouth counties. Many of the plans offer the benefits of a Medicare Supplemental Plan with no additional premium cost beyond that which seniors are currently paying for Medicare Parts A and B.

"CIGNA's Medicare Advantage PFFS plans are simple, affordable and easy to use," said Sam Srivastava, president of CIGNA Senior and Retiree Services. "For those who are currently paying extra for Supplemental insurance, the savings offered by many of these Medicare Advantage plans can be used to pay for prescriptions in the Medicare Part D 'donut hole' or can be applied to some other expense such as electric or heating bills," he said.

Nine million beneficiaries have already taken advantage of the increased benefits. According to recent data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Advantage PFFS plans have seen a 75 percent growth rate, making them the fastest growing Medicare Advantage plans in the country. "Clearly, the benefits of these plans are resonating with seniors," added Srivastava.

Traditionally, many seniors have chosen to add Medicare supplemental plans to help offset the 20 percent coinsurance they typically paid for each doctor's visit or medical procedure as well as to cover costs associated with a catastrophic illness. In addition, seniors received two statements for every procedure and had to coordinate administration and paperwork between the two plans. "When, you add this all up, it can be a costly and time-consuming venture," said Srivastava.

Unlike the Medicare Advantage HMO plans, which often restrict care to certain physicians, in Medicare Advantage PFFS plans, beneficiaries may see any physician who accepts Medicare payments and the terms of the health plan. And, Srivastava pointed out that there are no limitations to accessing care, which is one of the concerns seniors have about some Medicare Advantage plans. The plans offer one-stop shopping for all the medical benefits at a significantly lower cost for most beneficiaries. Often there is a no-premium option with small doctor visit co-payments and maximum yearly out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Srivastava cautions that while all Medicare Advantage plans, by regulation, must provide coverage that is at least equivalent to traditional Medicare and are subject to oversight by CMS, not all plans are the same. When selecting a Medicare Advantage plan, such as a private fee-for-service plan, he suggests that seniors check to see if there are additional benefits beyond traditional Medicare. For instance, CIGNA offers:

A health risk assessment to help members identify current and potential health risks;

A 24-hour health information line for members to speak to a nurse about health questions or concerns or when members are reluctant to call their physician -- perhaps because it is the middle of the night;

The ability to view eligibility, benefits, and claim details online;

A Healthy Rewards program that offers discounts on health and wellness products and services such as health club memberships, weight management or smoking cessation programs;

Caps on maximum out-of-pocket expenses to help mitigate the financial impact due to possible catastrophic illness;

A personal care manager to assist in coordinating your care and support services if you are admitted to a hospital or other care facility;

Access to reliable health information from the Healthwise library;

Outreach phone calls post enrollment to personally answer questions about the plan the senior selected.

CIGNA currently offers Medicare Advantage PFFS plans through employers nationwide as well as individual Medicare Advantage PFFS plans in New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. The plans focus on helping seniors stay healthy and active.

CIGNA also offers a national Medicare Part D Plan that is below the premium benchmark set by Medicare in 19 of the 34 Medicare regions, including in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton and Portsmouth counties which means that these plans are among the lowest cost plans in these areas. CIGNA also has programs to help members manage their prescription costs to help them avoid reaching the "donut hole", the gap in prescription coverage requiring seniors to pay for their own medications after their yearly drug costs reach $2,510, which is the typical level for many plans, until they reach $4,050 when comprehensive coverage becomes available.

For more information, visit www.CIGNAMedicare.com or call 1.800.577.9409.

About CIGNA

CIGNA Corporation (NYSE:CI) and its subsidiaries, with total assets of $44 billion and an employee base of approximately 26,500, constitutes one of the largest publicly-owned employee benefits organizations in the United States and throughout the world. Its subsidiaries are major providers of employee benefits offered through the workplace, with products and services including health care, group life, accident and disability insurance, dental, vision, behavioral health, and pharmacy.

"CIGNA Senior Services" is a service mark, and the "Tree of Life" logo is a registered service mark, of CIGNA Intellectual Property, Inc., licensed for use by CIGNA Corporation and its operating subsidiaries. Products are offered by these operating subsidiaries Connecticut General Life Insurance Company and CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., and not by CIGNA Corporation. Each of these operating subsidiaries is a Medicare Advantage Organization with a Medicare contract.

Source: Business Wire

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