CIGNA HealthCare Expands Health Savings Accounts in Mid-Atlantic

CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Although smaller businesses have among the highest employee satisfaction and the highest level of employer loyalty, they must still compete for employees with larger firms who can often afford to offer richer benefit packages. Even with this knowledge, smaller employers are increasingly finding themselves unable to offer health insurance to their employees.(1)

CIGNA HealthCare today announced a potential solution to this dilemma for local employers with 51-200 employees when it announced that it is expanding the availability of its consumer-driven CIGNA Choice Fund(SM) Health Savings Account (HSA) plans to these businesses in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The CIGNA Choice Fund HSA had previously been available only to employers with more than 200 employees. CIGNA is offering the expanded availability now for plans that take effect on or after December 1, 2005.

"The percentage of smaller employers offering health insurance to their employees has dropped over the past 5 years ... and most of the decline we have seen in offering health insurance has been in the small business sector (up to 200 employees) which is seeking creative solutions to be able to offer affordable coverage," said Tom Martel, president and general manager of CIGNA HealthCare Mid-Atlantic. "By providing employers with the appropriate benefit designs, and their employees with the information necessary to make more informed health care decisions, employers could save anywhere from 10 to 20 percent(2) or more on their health insurance, depending on their current benefit design." Martel further indicated that CIGNA data has shown that consumers also benefit from cost savings through coaching and personalized information that helps them use the plan to their best advantage.

The CIGNA Choice Fund HSA is an integrated benefits plan that combines a tax-advantaged savings account with a high-deductible health plan and financial management features, such as a debit card and checkbook from JPMorgan Chase.

In addition, CIGNA announced earlier this year that beginning on January 1, 2006, CIGNA Choice Fund HSA participants will also have the option to invest the money in their health savings account in mutual funds from leading firms including JPMorgan Funds, T. Rowe Price and Royce Funds, representing a broad array of investment options. These investment options are in addition to the JPMorgan Chase Bank interest bearing savings account currently available and are offered through J.P. Morgan Institutional Investments Inc., a registered broker/dealer, member NASD/SIPC.

The CIGNA Choice Fund(SM) HSA includes a broad array of award-winning consumer decision support tools that encourage consumers to make informed decisions about their health care, help them track account balances online and help them plan for future health care needs. For example, CIGNA offers a Pharmacy Price Quote Tool that allows members to comparison shop for their prescriptions among their local retail pharmacies or through CIGNA's home delivery service, CIGNA Tel-Drug. The CIGNA Hospital Value Tool uses a star- based rating system that allows consumers to review the quality and cost effectiveness of hospital care for certain medical conditions.

CIGNA HealthCare's extensive provider network and medical management programs are also key features of the plan, providing members access to industry-leading clinical resources for managing chronic conditions and accessing preventive care.

Martel indicated that consumer-driven health plans, such as the CIGNA Choice Fund HSA, can help employers manage costs by encouraging employees to be more engaged in their health care decisions. To introduce these new plans to employees, CIGNA HealthCare offers communication and enrollment assistance to help employees learn about their benefit choices and get the most out of their health plan. For more information, visit http://www.cignachoicefund.com/.

CIGNA HealthCare, headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, 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 management. "CIGNA" or "CIGNA HealthCare" refers to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation . Products and services are provided by these operating subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation.

The CIGNA Choice Fund HSA is provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Cash is deposited with and securities are custodied at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Mutual funds are offered by and HSA Investment Accounts are provided by J.P. Morgan Institutional Investments Inc., member NASD and SIPC, a broker dealer affiliate of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Mutual funds are not FDIC-insured, not bank guaranteed and may lose value.

(1) An October 2005 study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) indicates that 64% of employers offered health insurance in 2000, while only 60% offered that benefit in 2004 and that most of the decrease was in small businesses. During this same time period, the percentage of uninsured in America remained constant.

(2) Based on an employer with a current benefit plan that has a combined employer and employee cost of $6,000 per employee per year with a $250/$500 single/family deductible, and employee costs of 10%/30% for services in/out of network. Savings may vary based on current benefit design and geography.