CIGNA HealthCare’s Starbridge products meet
an emerging market need

Provide health benefits for America’s working uninsured

One of the most significant challenges in America is the growing number of uninsured, recently estimated to be more than 46 million people. Of this number, 38 million actually represent the "working uninsured" – people with jobs, and their family members, who have no health insurance. They may not have coverage because premiums make it too expensive for them to purchase; it’s too costly for their employer to offer; or they are not eligible for health benefits due to their part-time, hourly, or other work status. Whatever the reason, they are more likely to access care through more costly channels, such as emergency rooms, and do not reap the health benefits of building a good relationship with a physician.

CIGNA is committed to improving the health of our member-consumers. One way we can do this is by offering employers easily administered, cost-effective plans that they can make available to their workforce. This is one of the key reasons why we recently acquired Star HRG, one of the nation’s leading product portfolios of voluntary and limited-benefit health plans, and the employees and services that support this business. These types of plans are tailored for employers in industries with hourly or part-time workers who typically do not qualify for full benefit coverage. There is a growing trend among these employers to provide simple-to-use plans to this population through voluntary or limited-benefit programs that are priced to align with their employees’ economic circumstances. These plans allow them to make coverage available to more of their employees, which can help improve productivity, increase employee satisfaction, strengthen employee retention, and attract new workers.

The voluntary and limited benefits market is expected to grow rapidly over the next five years. By adding the Starbridge family of products to CIGNA's own industry-leading product suite, we – together with the agents, brokers, and consultants who represent and serve our mutual customers – can take advantage of this market opportunity by offering employers an even broader product suite that meets the needs of their entire employee population.

CIGNA HealthCare’s Starbridge suite (136k) is designed to deliver maximum value with minimal out-of-pocket expense. We believe that these products provide a market-leading balance of access and cost that speaks to both employers’ needs and those of the working uninsured.