The Priority Health and Cigna Network Alliance
Since 2018 Priority Health and Cigna have shared networks for employer-sponsored group plans. The practical effect is a national network behind a Michigan plan, and a Michigan network behind a national plan.
Who uses which network
Priority Health Members Outside Michigan
Priority Health commercial group members who live or travel outside Michigan can use Cigna’s nationwide Open Access Plus network.
Cigna Members in Michigan
Cigna commercial employer-sponsored members in Michigan’s lower peninsula can use Priority Health’s PPO network.
Employer-Sponsored Plans Only
Individual plans and Medicare plans are excluded.
Claims and ID Cards
Cigna members treated in Michigan carry cards with the Priority Health logo, and their claims go to Cigna.
What we confirm
Who is actually quoting
Whether the quote comes from Priority Health, Cigna or both changes the card and the claims path.
Where your employees live
The alliance matters most for remote employees and out-of-state dependents.
How it compares
We price the alliance network against other national options on the same census.
An illustration of how this plays out
This is a composite example to show the reasoning, not a description of a specific client.
The situation
An employer with a Michigan headquarters and a few remote employees was choosing between a Michigan plan and a national plan.
What we did
We compared a Priority Health design with the Cigna alliance network behind it against a national carrier’s design on the same census.
What changed
The group saw what the alliance covered for remote employees and where a national carrier still made sense.
Confirming which network actually applies to your members.
The network alliance is a feature of certain employer-sponsored plans, and whether it helps you depends on which products are in play. Confirm the specific plan, the network it uses and how claims and ID cards work in both directions. A plan that looks the same on paper can behave differently depending on where the member lives and where they get care.
The value is clearest for groups with members outside Michigan or in the other carrier’s footprint. For a group that stays in one area, the alliance may matter little. Compare your members’ locations to the network and ask the carrier to confirm coverage in writing. Details of the arrangement can change, so verify them with the carriers directly.
Questions about the alliance
Whose card will employees carry?
Cards differ depending on whether the plan is Priority Health or Cigna.
Where do claims go?
Claims follow the plan, not the network used.
Which plans are included?
Only commercial employer-sponsored group plans.
Where does the alliance help most?
Employees and dependents who live or travel outside Michigan.
Does the alliance change what employees pay?
Cost sharing is set by the plan, not by the alliance. Check the plan documents for the specifics.
Where do we verify the current arrangement?
With the carriers directly. Ask for written confirmation of which networks and products are included.
Questions we get
When did the alliance begin?
2018.
Does it cover individual plans?
No. It covers commercial employer-sponsored group plans.
Whose logo is on a Cigna member’s card in Michigan?
Cigna members treated in Michigan carry cards with the Priority Health logo.
Does it apply to individual plans?
No.
Is the alliance permanent?
Terms can change. We confirm current terms before you choose.
The law behind this page.
Public Health Service Act section 2715 (42 U.S.C. § 300gg-15), Summary of Benefits and Coverage; Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
Send us your renewal.
We’ll tell you whether it looks competitive, where we see opportunity, and the five questions we’d put to your carrier. No cost, and no obligation to move anything.
The renewal letter
Your current plan summary
Contribution split by tier
Enrolled counts by tier
Four documents — two more if your group is 50 or more. Nothing else; every extra one is a reason to postpone.
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