Global Health Services Co. Expands Health Plans for Small Businesses in Arizona

“This pandemic has forced small business owners in Arizona to make many sacrifices, especially when it comes to their health care choices,” said Bruce Grimm, Cigna’s senior vice president of segments. “As more workplaces reopen, maintaining a safe workplace is vital to helping employees have peace of mind. Through our partnership with Oscar, we are providing more choices for affordable, predictable and simple health coverage to small businesses at a time when they need it most.”

Small businesses throughout Arizona continue to struggle from the impact brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Census Bureau’s Small Business Pulse Survey, 30.2 percent of small businesses in Arizona reported a decline in revenue during the first week of October 2020. A survey conducted by Cigna Administered by Oscar found that 88 percent of small businesses plan to better prioritize their employees’ health moving forward, and 66 percent say that health insurance is more important to calculate in their budgets than before the outbreak of COVID-19.

“As the country begins to reopen, it is critical that small businesses are being helped to get back on their feet and keep their doors open,” said Louis DeStefano, head of the small group business and senior vice president of growth at Oscar. “Cigna Administered by Oscar specifically meets those needs by offering small businesses affordable health plans that meet the needs of their employees, in this moment and moving forward.”

Arizona small businesses with between one and 50 employees² will have access to unique services driven by the combination of Cigna’s provider relationships and Oscar’s consumer-centric, tech-driven approach to customer service and care navigation, including:

• Expected monthly savings for businesses and their employees.
  • Range of plan options across price points to meet the needs of every employee.
  • Behavioral health benefits to help keep teams productive and healthy.
• Local and nationwide networks of quality doctors, hospitals, and specialists.
  • Access to Cigna’s behavioral health network for mental health resources.
  • Cigna Open Access Plus network, a national network of quality, cost-effective providers.
  • Cigna LocalPlus®, a locally designed network of quality providers offering quality, cost-effective medical care.
  • 24/7 virtual urgent care to support employees wherever they are located, at $0 cost.
• Affordable and easy-to-access pharmacy services.
  • $3 co-pays on the most commonly prescribed prescriptions.
  • Express Scripts pharmacists, nurses and specialty drug experts.
• Dedicated care team experts to help employees understand their benefits, find nearby care, and get the most value out of their plan.

Cigna and Oscar have agreed to share risk equally under a reinsurance agreement for solutions offered through this strategic partnership and plan to expand the partnership over time.

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to improving the health, well-being and peace of mind of those we serve. Cigna delivers choice, predictability, affordability and access to quality care through integrated capabilities and connected, personalized solutions that advance whole person health. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, Evernorth companies or their affiliates, and Express Scripts companies or their affiliates. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products. Cigna maintains sales capability in over 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more than 175 million customer relationships throughout the world.

Oscar Health, Inc. (“Oscar”) is the first health insurance company built around a full stack technology platform and a relentless focus on serving its members. At Oscar, our mission is to make a healthier life accessible and affordable for all.

Headquartered in New York City, Oscar has been challenging the health care system’s status quo since our founding in 2012. The company’s member-first philosophy and innovative approach to care has earned us the trust of approximately 540,000 Americans across 291 counties, as of January 31, 2021. We offer Individual & Family, Small Group and Medicare Advantage plans. We also offer our full stack technology platform to others within the provider and payor space. Our vision is to refactor health care to make good care cost less. Refactor is a term used in software engineering that means to improve the design, structure, and implementation of the software, while preserving its functionality. At Oscar, we take this definition a step further. We improve the member experience by building trust through deep engagement, personalized guidance, and rapid iteration.