Cigna + Oscar Extends Small Business Health Plan to Philadelphia

Cigna and Oscar Health will be extending their small business health plan footprint into Philadelphia, increasing access to care for small business owners and employees.

During the pandemic, many states have struggled to support their small businesses, leaving many with barriers to providing health insurance.

Pending regulatory approval, the Cigna + Oscar plan will be available across the Philadelphia metro area beginning January 1, 2023. Employers in the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery will have access to the plan.

Small businesses with 11 to 50 employees will receive affordable, member-first health insurance products through the health plan, Cigna stated.

“A healthy workforce is critical to fueling business growth, and employers can help their workforce stay healthy by providing innovative health plans that offer many new ways for people to access care and stay on top of their health goals,” Bruce Grimm, senior vice president and commercial segment lead of Cigna, said in a public statement.

“In this dynamic environment, small businesses need health plans that are affordable, predictable, and simple. With this expansion, Cigna + Oscar health plans are now able to help small businesses in Philadelphia provide their employees with access to quality care at a more affordable cost.”

Enrollees will be able to access Cigna’s network of hospitals, healthcare providers, and specialists without a referral.

The Cigna Open Access Plus network includes over 1,000,000 doctors, specialists, and providers. Additionally, the network contains more than 17,000 hospital and clinical facilities.

The plan also incorporates behavioral health support and low-cost prescription coverage.

Through Cigna’s Express Scripts, members can save on prescriptions and refill them on their phones.

“Cigna + Oscar had a strong first half of the year with respect to growth –– we recently surpassed the 50,000 member milestone,” said Louis DeStefano, head of the small group business and senior vice president of growth at Oscar. “We are excited to bring this momentum to Philadelphia and look forward to working with small businesses throughout the area.”

This partnership between Cigna and Oscar Health began in early 2020. By design, the health plan targets small businesses that struggle to afford healthcare coverage for their employees.

The health plan started in select markets such as Georgia, Tennessee, and Connecticut.

In 2021, Cigna + Oscar brand’s small business health plan became available to employers in California as businesses fought to keep their doors open due to the pandemic.

The partnership seeks to enable the payers to share the risk between them due to their reinsurance agreement.

“Cigna + Oscar provides a solution for the unique challenges that small businesses face by offering a variety of services that meet their employees’ health needs, and at a cost that helps make it possible to keep their doors open,” DeStefano said at the time.