Today’s U.S. health care system is complicated and can be difficult to navigate, leaving many people worried about obtaining care for themselves or their loved ones. We see the statistics: over half of Americans report struggling to understand and navigate the health system¹; and close to half of Americans report skipping a recommended medical test or treatment, or not going to the doctor when they were sick or injured because of cost².

At Cigna, we see the people behind those statistics and are working every day to make health care more affordable, predictable, and simple. The ability for people to make more informed decisions about their health and health care results in better health and peace of mind.

In its current form, the health care system is much too complex — for consumers as well as health care providers. It is not sustainable, but the changes required go beyond one company’s door. Improving the health care system for everyone requires a relentless commitment to continuous improvement, innovative thinking, and partnerships with government, employers, policymakers, and others.

Cigna President and CEO David Cordani recently called for moving toward a better system: “The dialogue we are having in the United States around health care reform is a good dialogue. It’s a dialogue that needs to happen, because the system is fundamentally unsustainable.”

You can watch his full speech here:

As Cordani noted, “While we need to build a better future for tomorrow, we need to deliver on the present.” That’s why Cigna continues to innovate to help the people, businesses, and health plans we serve:

• We rolled out a new initiative to help address cost concerns for those who need insulin by capping the out-of-pocket cost at $25 per 30-day prescription through our new Patient Assurance Program
• We launched Embarc Benefit Protection to expand access to life-changing gene therapies while helping protect people and businesses from the high costs.
• Our Cigna One Guide provides concierge health services to help people make better, more informed health care decisions including how, where, and when to access care.

We will continue to introduce new ways to make health care more affordable, predictable and simple, and will continue to collaborate with others to build a better health care system for everyone.

¹ New Survey Finds Large Number of People Skipping Necessary Medical Care Because of Cost, March 25, 2018. https://www.westhealth.org/press-release/survey2018/

² Unnecessary ED visits from chronically ill patients cost $8.3 billion, February 7, 2019 https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20190207/TRANSFORMATION03/190209949/unnecessary-ed-visits-from-chronically-ill-patients-cost-8-3-billion