Cigna and Hartford HealthCare announce contract renewal, avert coverage disruption for CT patients

Paul Schott, The Hour, Norwalk, Conn.Hour

Oct. 31—Health insurer Cigna and Hartford HealthCare announced Thursday they agreed on a contract renewal, a deal that means Cigna policyholders will continue to be covered for care received in the HHC system.

Cigna and HHC officials did not disclose the terms or the duration of the new agreement, but they said that Cigna policyholders would not experience any disruption to their coverage. Policyholders had faced the prospect of having to pay higher, out-of-network rates if the two organizations had not hammered out a new agreement before the previous contract-expiration date of Nov. 1.

"Hartford HealthCare and Cigna have reached a multi-year agreement that will ensure that Cigna members continue to have uninterrupted access to HHC's physicians, hospitals and services," Hartford HealthCare officials said in a written statement. "This is good news for our patients and communities and allows us to continue our mission to improve the health and healing of all."

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In their own statement, Cigna officials said, "the new agreement we reached with Hartford HealthCare will offer quality, affordable care for the people we jointly serve and will expand our value-based care programs. We look forward to working with Hartford HealthCare to continue improving the health and vitality of our customers in this community."

Cigna and HHC officials did not disclose the number of Cigna policyholders who have received HHC services in the past year.

In comparison with the current round of talks, negotiations for the current contract wrapped up in early September of 2021 — about two months before the previous agreement would have expired.

"Connecticut residents rely on hospitals and health systems to provide access to care 24-hours-a-day, to support world-class medical care that saves lives and helps manage disease, to serve as a safety net provider for vulnerable populations, and to have the resources needed to respond to medical and public health emergencies and disasters," the Connecticut Hospital Association said in a statement earlier this month. "Stable and adequate payment from private health insurance companies for care provided is vital to providing high-quality care, innovation, and hospital resiliency."

Based on 2023 revenues, Bloomfield-based Cigna ranked No. 16 and highest among Connecticut-headquartered companies in this year's edition of the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations.

Hartford HealthCare is one of the largest health care systems in the Northeast. As of August, it had about 30,000 employees in Connecticut, making it the second-largest private-sector employer in the state after the Yale New Haven Health system.

HHC's hospitals include Backus Hospital in Norwich; Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington; Hartford Hospital; MidState Medical Center in Meriden; St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport; The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain; and Windham Hospital.