Cigna Corporation, a leading name in the global health services, has announced the appointment of Charles Berg, an experienced healthcare executive, as president of Medicare Advantage Expansion. Berg will also be part of company’s enterprise leadership team.
- An experienced hand: Berg brings a lot of experience on the plate for Cigna. He has previously served as executive chair of DaVita Medical Group, which was acquired by Optum. Formerly, he also served as executive chairman at WellCare Health Plans, which is now a part of Centene Corporation. Apart from being an executive at UnitedHealth Group, he has been on the board at many companies including CareCentrix and Talkspace, too.
- Berg’s role at Cigna: As president, Berg is expected to lead the expansion business of the Cigna’s Medicare Advantage and Individual and Family Plan businesses. Cigna has already set a double-digit growth target in this space as it is one of the industry’s hottest segments right now. He is also expected to utilize the capabilities of Evernorth, a wholly-owned Cigna subsidiary that offers a new brand for the company’s health services portfolio.
- ‘Berg an asset to our team’: Announcing the move, CEO David Cordani said that Cigna’s portfolio of government businesses propels the company for growth, and Berg’s leadership is expected to bring a sharper focus on that growth strategy through geographic expansion and enhancements to the product suite. He said, “I look forward to working closely with Chuck and am confident he will be a valuable asset to our team as we realize our vision to transform healthcare.”
- Indicates company’s expansion plans: The appointment of Berg to lead Cigna’s Medicare Advantage (MA) expansion comes in the backdrop of the company growing to 108 new counties and three new states as of October 2021. The move will see its footprint expand by around 30%. At 80% since 2019, the company has seen one of the sharpest rise in its geographical coverage in MA. Cigna is now covering a whopping 477 counties across 26 states and the District of Columbia.
- Expansion at no ‘extra’ cost : Significantly, Cigna has said that its existing customers will not have to shell out more money and they will pay the same or even lesser premiums. It also said that every market will have at least one $0 premium plan. Its other benefits include among others a social connection programme to fight loneliness, tailor-made plans for people with diabetes etc..