Consumers will have more choices and an
easy way to build a customized health benefits
plan to fit their individual health care
and financial needs through 
CIGNA
Custom Benefit BuilderSM (140k),
a new capability introduced by CIGNA HealthCare.
CIGNA Custom Benefit Builder combines state-of-the-art
technology with consumer information and
decision support tools to give consumers
a simple, step-by-step way to learn about
and model their benefits. Consumers can personalize
their co-payment and coinsurance levels,
deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. As
these choices are made, CIGNA Custom Benefit
Builder automatically calculates how much
the plan will cost and then allows the consumer
to enroll for benefits, all using one integrated
online application.
"As consumerism continues to gain momentum
in the marketplace, our goal is to continue
to give consumers more choices and more control
over their health care decision-making," said
Tom Richards, senior vice president of product
for CIGNA HealthCare. "CIGNA Custom
Benefit Builder is an industry-leading next
step in extending to health care benefits
the same kind of choice and personalization
that consumers increasingly enjoy for many
other types of purchases they make."
According to a recent CIGNA HealthCare survey
conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, the option
to personalize their health care insurance
to their needs and budget is one that would
be clearly valued by a majority (81%) of
consumers. More than three-quarters (79%)
of consumers indicated that they are confident
in their ability to decide how much coverage
they need and how much they are willing to
pay for that coverage.
In fact, eighty-seven percent of those surveyed
said they would value a health plan that
lets them decide how much they would pay
for things like doctor visits, lets them
select their prescription drug plan and provides
a simple, easy-to-use tool that lets them
decide how those choices affect how much
their health insurance costs.
Richards said that in the past, an employer
would have had to offer dozens of separate
benefit plans to get the same level of choice
that CIGNA Custom Benefit Builder will now
enable through an online tool in just a few
simple steps.
In addition to choice, consumers also want
ease when building their customized benefit
plan. Seventy-two percent of consumers would
value a health plan that would allow them
to make their health insurance choices using
online technology in a manner similar to
online shopping for consumer products. Powered
by Choicelinx technology and initially available
for large national employers for benefit
plans taking effect beginning January 1,
2007, CIGNA Custom Benefit Builder allows consumers to:
- model their expected heath care use based
on age, gender and health status;
- conduct "what if" scenarios
demonstrating how different choices affect
costs;
- calculate how much their health care
benefits will cost them each pay period
based on the options they select and their
employers' contributions to their benefits;
- choose the pharmacy plan that best meets
their needs;
- review available incentives offered by
the employer for enrolling in wellness
and disease management programs;
- understand all their benefit options;
and,
- enroll online.
About the survey
The CIGNA HealthCare survey was conducted
by Ipsos Public Affairs, a survey-based
research company, and was fielded February
17-20, 2006. It includes responses from
a random sample of 683 individuals who
have access to an employer-sponsored health
insurance plan. Survey results based on
683 interviews are considered accurate
to within 3.7 percentage points.
About Choicelinx
Choicelinx is a CIGNA-owned benefits technology
and services company specializing in a
new generation of Web-based and consumer-focused
employee benefits products for the health
insurance industry. Choicelinx products
improve health plan operations and achieve
efficiencies through seamless automation
of data collection and transmission. Choicelinx
is headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire.
About CIGNA HealthCare
CIGNA HealthCare, headquartered in Bloomfield,
CT, provides medical benefits plans, dental
coverage, behavioral health coverage, pharmacy
benefits and products and services that
integrate and analyze information to support
consumerism and health advocacy. "CIGNA
HealthCare" refers to various operating
subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation (NYSE:
CI). Products and services are provided
by these operating subsidiaries and not
by CIGNA Corporation.
