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"The Big Picture" Newsletter
March 2006
Latest News
Customized benefits – giving
consumers what they want
New CIGNA tool satisfies popular demand
A recent survey showed that a large majority
of consumers (81%) would value the ability
to customize their health care coverage.
Now they have that flexibility with CIGNA
Custom Benefit BuilderSM– a state-of-the-art
capability that lets consumers customize
their co-payments, coinsurance, deductibles
and out-of-pocket maximums, and simultaneously
view how much the customized plan will
cost. Once their choices are determined,
an integrated online application helps
them enroll.
Course offering expanded for international
benefits
Academy by CIGNA offers continuing
education, license renewal credits
Understanding and selling international
benefits is a complex challenge – one
that CIGNA wants to help you overcome and
turn into sales. That's why CIGNA
International Expatriate Benefits (CIEB) has
added courses to Academy by
CIGNA, a continuing education
program for you that offers a variety of
state-approved programs, which can be used
to earn insurance license renewal credits.
Just last year, 260 Academy by CIGNA courses
were attended by more than 2,800 producers
nationwide.
Government clients face increased pressure
on benefit costs
Ways to cope with new GASB
standard, effective in December 2006
Not much time remains before governments
will need to deal with Government
Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement
No. 5, requiring that governments
account for future costs of providing employee
retirement benefits other than pension
benefits. Realizing this change will lead
to even more benefits-related cost constraints,
CIGNA offers several
strategies to government clients to
help reduce the costs of providing Other
Post Employment Benefits (OPEB).
Product Spotlight
CIGNA Dental Care Value PlansSM offer
greater flexibility and options
Helps employers balance dental
coverage needs of their workforce
with overall benefit spend
The CIGNA Dental Care Value Plans, a new
line of DHMO patient charge schedules,
provide your clients a choice between alternate
treatment plans with or without orthodontic
coverage, specialty discount plans and specialty
discount plans with alternate treatment provisions;  all
plans (280k) come with office visit co-pay
options. In response to the compression of
benefit dollars, your clients can realize
a rate
decrement of 3% to 37% when choosing
a Value Plans schedule (compared to standard
05 Patient Charge Schedules). Please contact
your CIGNA sales representative for more
information about CIGNA Dental Care Value
Plans.
Regional News
What's happening locally
CIGNA HealthCare news for your area
Get the latest CIGNA HealthCare news for your part of the country. Every month, we post new articles of interest and update the states to which they apply. Here's where you'll also find up-to-date local contact information to help you with your questions and concerns. Want to know the news for your area? Find out here.
(NOTE: States with new articles of special interest are highlighted in blue.)
Health Care
News and Trends
CIGNA leaders to speak at World Health Care
Congress
Hanway, Cordani and Kang will
address attendees
CIGNA is a major sponsor of the 3rd Annual
World Health Care Congress, being held
in Washington, D.C., April 17-19. As a Silver
Sponsor, the company is sponsoring the Employer
SVP, Human Resources and Corporate Medical
Director Summit and will host an exhibit
booth. H. Edward Hanway, Chairman and CEO
of CIGNA, David Cordani, President, CIGNA
HealthCare, and Jeffrey L. Kang, MD, MPH,
Chief Medical Officer & SVP for CIGNA
HealthCare will be leading and addressing
sessions at the conference. Last year, more
than 1,600 CEOs, senior executives and government
officials from the nation’s
largest employers, hospitals, health systems,
health plans, pharmaceutical and biotech
companies, and leading government officials
were in attendance.
You can find more information about the World
Health Care Congress at http://www.worldcongress.com/events/NW600/?confCode=NW600
"CIGNA" or "CIGNA HealthCare" refers to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation. Products and services are provided by these subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation. These subsidiaries include Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Tel-Drug, Inc. and its affiliates, CIGNA Behavioral Health, Inc., Intracorp, and HMO or service company subsidiaries of CIGNA Health Corporation and CIGNA Dental Health, Inc.
In Arizona, HMO Plans are offered by CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona, Inc. In California, HMO plans are offered by CIGNA HealthCare of California, Inc. In Virginia, HMO plans are offered by CIGNA HealthCare of Virginia, Inc. and CIGNA HealthCare Mid-Atlantic, Inc. In North Carolina, HMO plans are offered by CIGNA HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc. All other medical plans in these states are insured or administered by Connecticut General Life Insurance Company.
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