One of the most interesting partnerships in the health insurance industry recently is the partnership between Cigna & Oscar which started offering small business plans in the Bay area in the 3rd quarter of 2020. With the combination of Cigna’s large provider network and national reach with Oscar’s local and personalized care, the partnership should complement each other quite well.
Cigna + Oscar offers two different provider networks for the small business market (1-100 employees) in the Bay area, the Cigna LocalPlus and the Cigna Open Access Plus plans. Both of these plans are EPO plans which means that they allow you to see any in-network provider without the need for a referral but these plans do not cover out-of-network providers unless there is a true medical emergency. These plans include no cost 24/7 urgent care, $0 virtual primary care, a free concierge team of care guides, Cigna’s behavioral health network, and member perks such as Amazon rewards of $1 per day that you reach a step goal (up to $100 per year per member of a household).
- Cigna LocalPlus – a local EPO network with affordability in mind
- Cigna Open Access Plus – offers a wider network of 970,000 providers and 17,000 facilities
The plan benefits are administered by Oscar Health, a growing health insurer founded in November 2012 by its CEO Mario Schlosser and has recently filed for an IPO or Initial Public Offering. For the state of California, the Cigna + Oscar small group health insurance plans are currently only available in the Bay area. Outside of the Bay area, Oscar still serves the small business community in Los Angeles and Orange County as well as in 17 other states for individual/family and Medicare Advantage plans. Stand-alone Cigna group plans are normally only available to businesses with at least 50+ full-time employees.
If you are a small business local to the Bay area, now is the perfect time to review if Cigna + Oscar is right for your business. If you want to attract the top talent and offer great health insurance benefits at a competitive rate, Cigna + Oscar be right for your business. For more information, please contact us so that we can go over your business needs and find a plan that meets both the medical needs of your employees while also addressing your bottom line. At Solid Health Insurance Services, we strive to help our clients find the right health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance which best meets their medical and financial needs.