UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna Insurance: Which Is Better?

UnitedHealthcare and Cigna are both formidable health insurance companies in the industry, each offering a wide range of plan types and network coverage. Both have large provider networks, though Cigna’s network is larger than UnitedHealthcare’s. However, UnitedHealthcare health insurance is offered in more states than Cigna which is why UnitedHealthcare takes the gold in this comparison.

Read our UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna comparison to see which company is best for your health insurance needs.

Key Takeaways UnitedHealthcare and Cigna both provide a diverse array of healthcare plan options. Cigna has a larger network than UnitedHealthcare with 1.5 million providers. Cigna has slightly better customer reviews than United Healthcare across several online entities. However, UnitedHealthcare was rated better than Cigna across several regions in a 2022 J.D. Power study.

History of UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealth Group was founded in 1977 by Richard Burke and went public in 1984. It was Dr. Paul Ellwood, who coined the term “health maintenance organization,” and who helped Burke start-up UnitedHealth. In 1979, the company created the first network senior health plan.

Click to read our full UnitedHealthcare review.

History of Cigna

In 1792, a group of citizens formed the Insurance Company of North America (INA), the country’s oldest stockholder-owned insurer. In 1794, INA issued its first insurance policy, for a sea captain, to mitigate the risk of death. In 1865, the Governor of Connecticut signed a special act of the General Assembly incorporating the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, which helped make Hartford, CT, “the insurance capital of the world.” The Insurance Company of North America and the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company combined in 1982 to form Cigna as we know it today.

Click to read our full Cigna review.

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: A Quick Glance

Comparison	UnitedHealthcare	Cigna
Plan Types	CDHP, EPO, FSA, HDHP, HMO, HMO-POS, HSA, Indemnity, Medicaid, Medicare, POS and PPO	CDHP, EPO, FSA, HDHP, HMO, HMO-POS, HSA, Indemnity, Medicaid, Medicare, POS and PPO
Availability	50 states (insurance types vary by location)	Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia
Coverage Limit	Varies	Varies
Deductible	Varies	Varies
Maximum Annual Benefit	Varies	Varies
Waiting Period	Varies	Varies
Providers In-Network	1.3 million physicians and care professionals and 6500 hospitals and care facilities	1.5 million
Covers Telehealth	Yes (depending on need, your plan and location)	Yes (depending on plan and location)
Policy Management	Mobile app, online account, phone	Mobile app, online account, phone

UnitedHealthcare Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Robust health insurance plans and benefits for Medicare and Medicaid recipients	Smaller provider network than Cigna
Health insurance marketplace plans for individuals and families that do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare
Offers telehealth for customers

Cigna Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Network of 1.5 million providers[1]	Limited availability
Ranks as one of the largest and oldest insurance institutions in the country	Below average customer satisfaction rating in most regions in 2022 J.D. Power study
Offers individual health insurance plans and group health insurance

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: Plan Structures

UnitedHealthcare and Cigna both provide a diverse array of healthcare plan options. UnitedHealthcare and Cigna offer HMO, PPO and POS plans, as well as specialized options like CDHP, EPO and HDHP.

Additional offerings include FSA, HMO-POS, HSA, Indemnity, Medicaid and Medicare. Each company caters to both individual and family needs and offers group health insurance plans through employers, along with vision and dental insurance.

Plan	UnitedHealthcare	Cigna
Individual & Family	✓	✓
Medicare	✓	✓
Medicaid	✓	✓
Dental	✓	✓
Vision	✓	✓
Small Business	✓	✓
Self-employed	✓	✓
Short-term	✓	✓
Student	✓	✓
Supplemental (accidental, critical illness, hospitalization, indemnity and international travel)	✓	✓

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: Plan Availability

UnitedHealthcare beats Cigna with nationwide availability. However, individual and family plans vary in availability depending on location. Cigna, on the other hand, only offers medical plans in the following 12 states:^[2]

Arizona	Colorado	Florida
Kansas	Mississippi	Missouri
Tennessee	Utah	Virginia
Georgia	North Carolina	Pennsylvania

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: In-Network Providers

Cigna wins this round, boasting an impressive network of 1.5 million providers. UnitedHealthcare’s network is still considerable with its 1.3 million providers, as well as 6,700 hospitals and care facilities.^[3] You can locate a provider through Cigna by clicking here or through UnitedHealthcare by clicking here.

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: Cost

There is no fair comparison between the two health insurance companies since health insurance costs are highly individualized and based on multiple factors including:

• Age
• Deductible
• Health history
• Health insurance plan
• Health insurance company
• State

UnitedHealthcare and Cigna both offer Medicare Advantage, Medigap and Part D plans. Medicare Advantage, priced at $15 per month on average for 2022.^[4] You'll also need to pay the separate premiums for Parts A and B.

Medigap, costing an average of $139 per month in 2023, fills in Original Medicare coverage gaps but doesn't include prescription drug benefits.^[5] Part D focuses on prescription drug coverage and costs an average of $43 per month in 2022.^[6]

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: Policy Management

Members of UnitedHealthcare and Cigna can manage their insurance policies via mobile app, web-based interface or through direct communication with customer service agents. The digital platforms simplify health insurance plan management by enabling you to:

• Assess various expenses
• Evaluate medication costs
• Locate medical professionals
• Settle invoices
• Monitor expenditures
• Check the status of claims

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: Coverage Limits

Health insurance companies like UnitedHealthcare and Cigna are prohibited from imposing monetary caps on what are deemed essential medical services when you're a policyholder. They must cover at least some of the cost of these benefits. These essential services encompass:

Outpatient care	Urgent medical attention
Surgical and inpatient hospital stays	Diagnostic lab tests
Mental and substance abuse treatments	Child healthcare services
Maternal, prenatal and infant care	Medications
Proactive health and chronic condition management	Rehabilitation and assistive technologies/devices

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: Medical Loss Ratio

The Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) represents the percentage of premium income that a health insurance company allocates toward patient care and enhancing service quality. Regulations mandate that insurers must allocate a minimum of 80% of individual health insurance plan premiums or 85% of group plan premiums toward healthcare services.^[7] If these thresholds are unmet, the remaining amount is returned to the insured parties as a rebate.

Cigna’s medical loss ratio in 2020 was 81.7%, just above the individual percentage mark.^[8] UnitedHealthcare issued individual rebates in 2022 in Arizona, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey Tennessee and West Virginia as well as group rebates in the District of Columbia and 26 states, which include:^[9]

Arizona	Michigan
Delaware	Nebraska
Hawaii	Oklahoma
Kentucky	Tennessee
Massachusetts	Wisconsin
Idaho	Colorado
New Jersey	California
Ohio	Iowa
Virginia	Maryland
Arkansas	Mississippi
Florida	New York
Illinois	Texas
Indiana	Wyoming

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: Enrollment Process

The annual enrollment window kicks off on November 1st this year, offering the opportunity to select health insurance plans from UnitedHealthcare and Cigna via the health insurance exchange.^[10] Employer-sponsored options for these health insurance companies might also be available. Enrollment outside of this designated period is permissible if you experience a life-changing event, such as:

• Acquiring U.S. citizenship
• Job transition
• Marital status changes (marriage or divorce)
• Childbirth or adoption
• Income dropping below the federal poverty threshold
• Loss of existing healthcare (due to a partner's job loss or death)
• Relocating residences

UnitedHealthcare and Cigna provide Medicare Advantage plans, with their own enrollment period running from January 1st to March 31st annually.^[11] They also offer Medigap and Part D options, which require you to have Original Medicare (Parts A and B) first. The signup window for Original Medicare spans from October 15 to December 7 each year.^[11] Initial enrollment in Original Medicare is possible outside these dates if you're becoming a first-time user.

UnitedHealthcare vs. Cigna: Policyholder Experience

Below is a table showing ratings based on customer reviews and company reviews from several online sources for both UnitedHealthcare and Cigna.

Company	UnitedHealthcare	Cigna
Consumer Affairs	2.5/5 stars[12]	1.9/5 stars[13]
BestCompany	3.1/5 stars[14]	2.7/5 stars[15]
BBB	No rating[16]	1.11/5 stars[17]

Public opinion varies for both firms, yet Cigna holds a slight edge over UnitedHealthcare. That said, a 2022 study by JD Power and Associates on Commercial Member Health Plans indicates that UnitedHealthcare outperforms Cigna in multiple regions.^[18]

How To File Claims With UnitedHealthcare and Cigna

If you visit an in-network doctor or healthcare center, they'll handle the insurance claim filing process for you. For out-of-network services, you'll be responsible for submitting the claim form yourself. Both UnitedHealthcare and Cigna offer specific forms for this purpose, which must be sent to the designated address. Additionally, you can monitor the progress of your claim via the web interface or mobile application provided by your health insurance company.