Working together with UNC Health Care and UNC Health Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network, Cigna (NYSE:CI) is introducing new individual and family medical plans in the Raleigh area, both on and off the federal public marketplace for plans that take effect starting January 1, 2017.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161020005794/en/

“Based on the collaborative care approach we will use in partnership with UNC Health Alliance, we see the North Carolina exchange as an opportunity to provide customers with an excellent combination of health care access, quality, and overall value,” said Charles Pitts, president of Cigna in North Carolina.

“The new Cigna plans are an addition to our local portfolio that has been so effective within the employer market for years: affordable access to quality health care from leading doctors and hospitals in the Raleigh area, and the information, resources and 24x7 service to help people take full advantage of their medical coverage.”

Cigna's individual offerings will feature a range of plan designs and price points and will be available in Chatham, Johnston, Nash, Orange, and Wake counties during the 2016 fall enrollment period that starts November 1, 2016 for plans that take effect on or after January 1, 2017.

Customers who enroll in the individual plans will have access to care provided by one of the region’s leading health care organizations. UNC Health Alliance’s network includes UNC Hospitals, Rex Hospital, Johnston Memorial Hospital, Nash General Hospital, and Chatham Hospital and employed and independent primary care doctors and specialists throughout the service area.

“With more than 70 primary care locations in the service area, patients have numerous access points and convenient places to receive health care services,” said Seth Glickman, M.D., UNC Health Alliance president. “Our patient-centered, collaborative approach to high-quality care provides the right care at the right time in the right place for patients.”

“Together with UNC Health Alliance, our focus is on promoting good health and preventing illness, helping people become healthier if they do have a health condition, providing coordinated care, and improving the patient experience,” Pitts added.

Pitts said Cigna's individual plans will focus on helping new customers to either develop or better establish relationships with a family doctor and to better understand and use their plans, especially for those who may not have used a health insurance plan in the past.

The announcement represents an expansion of Cigna's quality-oriented, competitively-priced individual and family plan programs in North Carolina. Cigna is already a leading provider of employer-sponsored group health plans in the state and across the U.S.

About UNC Health Care

The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of UNC Hospitals, ranked consistently among the best medical centers in the country; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; community practices; home health and hospice services in seven central North Carolina counties; Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville, NC; Chatham Hospital in Siler City, NC; High Point Regional Hospital in High Point, NC; Caldwell Memorial Hospital in Lenoir, NC; Johnston Health in Smithfield and Clayton, NC; Nash Health Care in Rocky Mount, NC; Wayne Memorial in Goldsboro, NC; Lenoir Memorial in Kinston, NC; and UNC REX Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County, NC.

About UNC Health Alliance

UNC Health Alliance is a physician-led network of more than 3,600 UNC Health Care employed providers and community physician partners, working together to provide evidence-based, patient-centered, affordable health care to patients at more than 400 locations throughout 36 counties across North Carolina. UNC Health Alliance is a Clinically Integrated Network – an organization of providers who collaborate across the health care continuum to improve quality, control health care costs, and work in partnership to provide coordinated care to better the patient and provider experience.

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America, Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York, or their affiliates. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more than 90 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.