Cigna is withdrawing from the UK domestic private medical insurance (PMI) and healthcare trusts market, Health & Protection can reveal.
At present the insurer offers group PMI schemes and healthcare trust administration as part of its UK Employer Health medical products operation, which will be closing.
However, Cigna’s domestic dental plans proposition and the Cigna Global arm which provides international PMI products to UK customers will not be affected.
Health & Protection understands the insurer will honour renewals for the affected products up until the end of the year, but will then effectively run off the products.
No insurer has taken on the existing client book or rights to renewals yet.
According to the latest Workplace Wellbeing and Protection Report published by Health & Protection sister title Corporate Adviser, at the end of 2021 Cigna provided healthcare through PMI or trust arrangements to 1,428 employers in the UK covering 140,964 employees.
Sources told Health & Protection the decision was conveyed to staff members two weeks ago.
Focus on international
In a statement Cigna confirmed the move to Health & Protection and said it was making the move to focus on growing its international business within the UK.
It added that it was seeking to redeploy staff around its business as the changes are rolled-out over the next 18 months, but did not give a figure on how many people would be accommodated by the process.
“We can confirm that Cigna has been exploring how to take its UK Employer Health medical products in the UK forward,” the insurer said.
“Following a strategic business review and after carefully considering all options, the decision has been made to stop providing the UK Employer Health medical products in the UK.
“This decision enables Cigna to deepen its strategic focus on global healthcare and health services, including the UK international business which is unaffected by this decision.
“Cigna remains committed to the UK market and will focus on growing its UK international business. Cigna customers in the UK with international policies will continue to be able to access high quality healthcare in the UK.
“Cigna is fully committed to supporting all employees who are affected by these changes and will be actively partnering with them to find roles in other parts of the business.
“Cigna remains committed to its customers, clients and partners and is working hard to ensure minimum disruption during this transition. All existing plans will continue to be serviced to consistently high standards until the process is completed,” it added.
