CIGNA has announced that it
will join the March of Dimes as the sole
health-related national corporate sponsor
of the 2006 WalkAmerica® campaign
to help raise money for the fight against
premature birth.
CIGNA's sponsorship effort,
called TeamWalk 2006, is expected to unite
thousands of employees in 55 offices nationwide
under the banner of "Healthy Babies
Deliver a Healthy Future." The TeamWalk
approach, a model for corporate March of
Dimes fundraising campaigns, has maintained
CIGNA's leadership position among the top
ten WalkAmerica® corporate
participants nationwide. Since 1995, CIGNA
and its employees have contributed $17.5
million to support the infant and maternal
health programs of the March of Dimes.
Andrea Gelzer, CIGNA's senior
vice president of clinical public affairs,
called CIGNA's participation in TeamWalk
2006 "an investment that will reap benefits
for individuals and families as well as the
businesses we serve.
"CIGNA understands the
physical, emotional and financial toll that
prematurity exacts on a family, which is
why we invest in educating our employees,
plan sponsors and members on the risks of
prematurity, and continue to serve as a leading
national sponsor to the March of Dimes," Gelzer
said.
She added that efforts of this
type illustrate CIGNA's commitment to provide
individuals and families with health and
wellness information tailored to their particular
needs, in keeping with its leadership position
in the field of health care consumerism.
The financial cost of prematurity
can be significant. According to the March
of Dimes, the direct health care costs to
employers for premature babies are 15 times
higher than those costs for babies born healthy
and full-term. Premature babies spend significantly
more time in the hospital and visit the doctor's
office one-third more often.
March of Dimes figures indicate
that in 2006 more than 500,000 babies in
the U.S. will be born prematurely, meaning
before 37 completed weeks of gestation.
Gelzer stressed that CIGNA's
participation is a key element of its efforts
to hold down the rising health care costs
of its employer-clients.
"By finding ways to help
reduce the risk of premature birth, we can
help our members have healthier babies and
our employer-clients moderate their costs," Gelzer
said.
TeamWalk 2006 is one part of
CIGNA's enterprise-wide effort to help its
employer-clients manage their costs by encouraging
employees to get the care they need to prevent,
manage or overcome health-related problems.
Gelzer named the following other programs
and resources offered by CIGNA HealthCare
to its members to help expectant women have
healthy pregnancies and prevent premature
births:
- CIGNA HealthCare Healthy Babies® –
This health awareness kit provides members
with education on healthy behaviors during
pregnancy. The "Healthy Babies" education
packet includes information on depression,
stress and dental care during pregnancy,
and materials from the March of Dimes.
- CIGNA Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy
Babies – This broad based
maternity management program aims to
identify members with risk factors early
in their pregnancy so they can begin
a plan of care that could help minimize
potential complications or premature
births. The new program will be available
for plans that take effect beginning
January 1, 2007.
- CIGNA Dental Oral Health Maternity
ProgramSM –
This benefit enhancement covers periodontal
scaling and root planing – a non-surgical
dental procedure to treat gum disease
– at 100% reimbursement when performed
during pregnancy for eligible members with
both CIGNA medical and dental coverage.
Other procedures to treat gum disease are
also enhanced under this program which
was designed in response to research that
shows an increased probability of preterm
birth for those with gum disease. Members
can test their knowledge of oral health
and its impact on a variety of health conditions
by taking a quiz at http://www.cigna.com/dental.
- CIGNA HealthCare 24-Hour Health
Information LineSM –
This informational resource enables members
to reach a nurse to ask health care questions
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere
in the U.S. The service also offers a recorded
audiotape library of over 1000 different
topics.
- myCIGNA.com – This
personalized web portal gives CIGNA's members
access to a suite of online decision, support
and health maintenance tools from WebMD.
Members can use these tools to assess their
health, determine their risk for health
problems, and receive customized information
to help them take action to improve their
overall health.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary
health agency whose mission is to improve
the health of babies by preventing birth
defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds
programs of research, community services,
education, and advocacy to save babies, and
in 2003 launched a campaign to address the
increasing rate of premature birth. WalkAmerica® is
the March of Dimes' largest fundraising campaign.
For more information, visit the March of
Dimes Web site at http://marchofdimes.com/ or
its Spanish language Web site at http://nacersano.org/.
For more information on the annual March
of Dimes WalkAmerica®, visit
the Web site at http://www.walkamerica.org/.
