Cigna cites $193 per member per year in medical savings for clients with integrated benefits, and says results vary.
Cigna argues that keeping medical, pharmacy and behavioral benefits together reduces total medical cost. The figure is Cigna’s own, and the carrier says individual results will vary.
What the program is and what members do.
What the claim is
Cigna says a 2024 Cigna Healthcare integration study showed a $193 per member per year medical cost savings when clients have their medical, behavioral and pharmacy benefits with Cigna Healthcare. The footnote describes it as an average from a national book of business study, and says individual results will vary and are not guaranteed.
What integration means in practice
Cigna says the combination gives more chances to identify and proactively engage members in behavioral and wellness services, coaching and support. The idea is that a pharmacy or behavioral signal can lead to outreach before a condition worsens. Cigna also says untreated behavioral issues raise medical cost.
What this is not
It is not a program an employee signs up for. It is a purchasing structure: the employer places three benefit lines with the same carrier group. The wellness programs and the savings claim ride on that structure. Whether it delivers savings for a specific employer depends on the group, not the national average.
Eligibility, funding and plan design.
Who can use it
Cigna says to ask the representative or broker which programs are available to a given employer. Because it depends on the employer buying medical, pharmacy and behavioral from Cigna, availability follows the group’s coverage selections, location and plan type. Self-funded and fully insured groups may be treated differently.
How it is funded or sold
It is sold as part of the plan structure rather than as a separate fee. The behavioral element Cigna references is Cigna Total Behavioral Health. The employer’s cost depends on the combined proposal, so it should be compared against separate options on total cost, not on the savings claim.
Where it fits in a plan design
It matters most at renewal and at marketing time, when an employer decides whether to carve out pharmacy or behavioral. Integrated placement can simplify administration and data sharing. Carving out can bring a better price or a better vendor. The savings number does not settle that choice.
What to settle before relying on it.
What does the $193 figure measure, and for whom?
It is an average per member per year across Cigna’s national book, from Cigna’s own study. We would ask for the study’s size mix, whether groups of this employer’s size and industry were included, and what the comparison group was. We would not budget savings from it, and we would treat it as context for the conversation only.
What is the total cost with and without integration?
Ask for quotes with all three lines together and with pharmacy or behavioral carved out. Compare total cost, not the medical line alone. A lower medical trend that is offset by a higher pharmacy charge is not a saving. We would also ask Cigna to show the pharmacy and behavioral pricing separately.
What data does the employer get across the three lines?
Integration is meant to improve engagement and reporting. We would ask what combined reporting the employer receives, how often, and whether it identifies the drivers of cost. We would also ask what happens to the pricing guarantee if the employer later moves one line elsewhere. That exit question is easy to forget at signing.
Common questions about this program.
What is the $193 figure?
Cigna says a 2024 integration study showed average medical savings of $193 per member per year for clients with medical, behavioral and pharmacy benefits with Cigna. Cigna says results vary and are not guaranteed.
Do we have to buy all three lines from Cigna?
The claim applies to clients who do. Whether an employer can buy only some lines, and at what price, is a question for the Cigna representative.
Should we expect that saving?
No. It is a national average from the carrier’s own study. We would compare actual quotes and treat the figure as context only.
Where these details come from.
This page summarizes what Cigna publishes. Programs change, so confirm current details with the carrier before relying on them.
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