SOUTH CAROLINA EDITION

CIGNA Choice Fund® - HRA Now Available to 51-200 Life Groups in South Carolina

We are pleased to announce that the CIGNA Choice Fund® Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) is now available to businesses with 51-200 employees in South Carolina.  The CIGNA Choice Fund HRA fully integrates an employer-funded health reimbursement arrangement with an Open Access Plus medical product. With an HRA, only the employer sets aside funds for the account portion of the plan, making the plan simpler for some smaller employers to administer and providing more employer control over the fund.

“Smaller business employers have told us they want the same savings, integration and consumer-focused approaches of consumer driven health care that are available to larger businesses,” said Dennis Wilson, president of the CIGNA HealthCare Small Business Segment. With this expansion, customers in South Carolina now have access to the full suite of CIGNA Choice Fund HRA and HSA products.

Wilson said that consumer driven health plans, such as the CIGNA Choice Fund HRA and HSA, can help employers manage costs by encouraging employees to be more engaged in their health care decisions. To help introduce these new plans to employees, CIGNA HealthCare offers award-winning communication and enrollment assistance to help employees learn about their benefit choices and get the most out of their health plan. If you have any questions regarding CIGNA Choice Fund, please do not hesitate to contact your local CIGNA sales manager.

Legislative Update

The House voted down a budget amendment to raise the cigarette tax by 32 cents a pack and spend the proceeds on health programs. Proponents brought the plan to the House as an amendment to the fiscal 2007 state budget and would have imposed the 32-cent-per-pack increase through the end of fiscal 2007.   However, the House members agreed that a more responsible method to raise the tax would be to change the state tax law to include higher cigarette taxes.  Amending state tax law permits the cigarette tax increase to be permanent and authorizes the money from the increase to be available for health programs each year without a sunset date.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Where We Are

250 Commonwealth Drive
Greenville, SC 29615

Who to Contact

Michael Foresman
864.987.1394
Michael.Foresman@cigna.com

Experienced Local Leadership

Charles C. Pitts, President and General Manager – CIGNA HealthCare of the Carolinas
Charles Pitts has over 20 years experience in the health care industry. Prior to joining CIGNA in 2006, Charles led the development and growth of multiple health plans for UnitedHealthcare. His responsibilities included financial, operational and leadership performance of health plans in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Charles earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington and Lee University, and his MBA in Finance from the University of Alabama. He currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.