Does Cigna Cover All 50 States?

Cigna is a major health insurance provider that offers comprehensive medical, dental, and supplemental health insurance plans. When it comes to their coverage area, a common question is: does Cigna cover all 50 states?

The short answer is: no, Cigna does not currently offer health insurance plans in every state. However, they do have a presence in the majority of states and continue to expand their coverage footprint.

Overview of Cigna’s Coverage Area

As of 2023, here is the breakdown of where Cigna offers health insurance plans:

• Medical plans – Available in 12 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas

• Dental plans – Available in 49 states and Washington, D.C. (not available in Washington state)

• Supplemental plans – Available nationwide

So while Cigna does not officially provide medical insurance options in all 50 states, they do have dental plans available in every state except Washington. Their supplemental health plans like accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity insurance are also sold nationwide.

Additionally, Cigna has national provider networks that allow their members to access care when traveling outside their home state. So even if Cigna does not sell plans in a particular state, members can likely still find in-network providers if needing medical services while visiting that state.

Why Doesn’t Cigna Offer Plans in Every State?

There are a few reasons why Cigna’s health insurance options are not universally available:

• State regulations – Each state has its own rules and requirements for health insurance plans. Cigna has to apply for licenses and gain approval before selling plans in new markets.

• Competition – In some states, there are already well-established insurance carriers dominating the market. Cigna may not see an opportunity to effectively compete.

• Strategy – As a business, Cigna strategically targets certain states to expand into where they can carve out market share. They spread their growth over time versus trying to be in every state at once.

• Costs – Building provider networks, hiring staff, and running operations in new states has significant upfront costs. Cigna takes a measured approach to expansion.

Is Nationwide Coverage Coming?

Cigna seems to be headed in the direction of eventually offering plans in all states, but the exact timeline remains unclear. Here are some key points about their expansion approach:

• In recent years, Cigna has been averaging about one to two new states per year for medical plans.

• They typically focus on growing states with large populations lacking insurance competition.

• Cigna entered several new medical insurance markets for 2023 including Kansas, Illinois, Virginia, and Washington D.C.

• Their dental insurance is now only absent in Washington state, after launching there in 2020.

So while we cannot say definitively when Cigna will have true nationwide coverage, they do appear to be making gradual progress towards that goal. We will likely see a few new states added each open enrollment period.

Accessing Cigna Plans Outside Their Footprint

If you do not live in one of the 12 states where Cigna medical plans are sold, you still have options:

• Cigna dental plans – These provide some coverage for dental care and discounts on vision services.

• Cigna supplemental plans – Accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and short-term plans are available.

• Out-of-state plans – In some areas near state borders, out-of-state Cigna plans may be an option.

• National provider network – When traveling, you can often find in-network Cigna providers through the MultiPlan network.