Cigna Group - CI STOCK NEWS

Cigna Healthcare presented the Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day at Garyville/Mt. Airy Math and Science Magnet School during Super Bowl LIX week. The event, in its eighth year, hosted over 600 students from PreK-8, including students from Fifth Ward Elementary School. Cigna Healthcare provided health services including free health screenings, skin cancer checks, eye exams, and glasses, while their Evernorth Behavioral Health team conducted wellness activities.

The event has impacted over 3,400 students and 400 educators, contributing more than $575,000 in funds and wish list items to participating schools. Partners including Zebra Technologies, Infinite Athlete, Stand Together, and Chick-fil-A contributed various resources including a new playground set, Chromebooks, and basketball systems. The event featured NFL Flag football activities, wellness programs, and interactive sports activities led by current and former NFL players.

The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI) has announced a comprehensive multi-year initiative to transform healthcare experiences for its customers. The company outlined five key focus areas: easier access to care, better support, better value, accountability, and transparency.

Key actions include: tying leadership compensation to customer satisfaction, publishing an annual Customer Transparency Report starting in 2026, expanding healthcare advocate teams for complex conditions, improving prior authorization processes, and implementing changes at Express Scripts to protect patients from high medication list prices.

To ensure accountability, Cigna established the Office of Excellence and Transformation, overseen by Dr. David Brailer and Chris DeRosa. The office will coordinate company-wide efforts to improve customer health outcomes and experiences.

The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI) reported strong financial results for 2024, with total revenues increasing 27% to $247.1 billion. Shareholders' net income was $3.4 billion ($12.12 per share), while adjusted income from operations reached $7.7 billion ($27.33 per share).

The company's performance showed continued strength in Evernorth Health Services, though Cigna Healthcare faced challenges from higher stop loss medical costs. Total customer relationships grew 11% to 182.2 million, with pharmacy customers increasing 20% to 118.3 million.

Looking ahead to 2025, Cigna projects adjusted income from operations of at least $7.9 billion ($29.50 per share). The Board approved an 8% increase in quarterly dividend to $1.51 per share and authorized an additional $6.0 billion for share repurchases, bringing total authorization to $10.3 billion.

Cigna Healthcare and Providence announced an expansion of their Los Angeles County network, enhancing healthcare options for Cigna Healthcare Select HMO customers. The expansion adds nearly 2,000 providers and specialists across multiple facilities to the network.

The agreement includes several Providence medical groups such as Facey Medical Group, Providence Axminster Medical Group, and multiple Providence-affiliated facilities including Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and Providence Saint John's Health Center. This expansion aims to provide greater flexibility and more convenient care options for employees and their families covered under Cigna Healthcare's employer benefit plans.

Evernorth Health Services, a subsidiary of The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI), announced new initiatives to improve pharmacy benefit costs and transparency for Express Scripts patients. The company is implementing protections to ensure patients benefit directly from drug price negotiations and receive lower out-of-pocket costs at pharmacy counters.

Key measures include protecting patients from paying high list prices by providing access to Express Scripts' negotiated lower prices, particularly benefiting those in employer-sponsored plans during their deductible phase. Currently, over 80% of Express Scripts' patients pay less than $100 per year for prescriptions.

The company is also enhancing transparency through new reporting features, including personalized summaries for patients detailing annual prescription costs, negotiated savings, and total savings. Plan sponsors will receive standardized reports with cost disclosures and pharmacy claim-level reporting for improved oversight.

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) has announced it will release its fourth quarter 2024 financial results on Thursday, January 30, 2025. The results will be published before 6:30 a.m. ET, followed by a management conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Participants are advised to dial in by 8:15 a.m. ET. The call will be accessible via domestic (888-566-1889) and international (773-799-3989) numbers, using passcode 01302025. A replay will be available from 12:30 p.m. ET on January 30 until February 13, 2025.

The conference call will also be streamed live on The Cigna Group's Investor Relations website in listen-only mode. The earnings release and financial supplement will be available on the company's investor website before 6:30 a.m. ET on the release date.

Cigna Healthcare announced a new collaboration with Progyny, Inc (Nasdaq: PGNY) to offer expanded fertility and family-building services for more employers. This comprehensive benefit aims to provide coverage from pre-conception to postpartum care, including surrogacy and adoption. The initiative addresses the affordability challenges employers face and acknowledges the growing demand for such services, with 1 in 6 people affected by infertility globally.

The offering is designed to help employers attract and retain top talent, with 61% of millennials valuing these benefits for company loyalty and 70% willing to change jobs for better family-planning benefits. Progyny's Smart Cycle® design allows employers to simplify coverage based on fertility cycles rather than financial thresholds, offering services such as:

• Access to over 650 premier fertility clinics in the U.S.
• 1:1 personalized support from Patient Care Advocates.
• Pre-conception coaching and clinical programming.
• Prescription fertility medication coverage.
• Customized cycle-based coverage for reproductive technologies.
• Egg and sperm freezing and storage.
• Doula services for labor and delivery.
• Holistic well-being and mental health support.
• Guided support and reimbursement for surrogacy and adoption services.

This new benefit will be available to most of Cigna Healthcare's self-funded employer clients in early fall 2025.

The Cigna Group Foundation has announced 22 recipients for its new grant program focused on improving veteran mental health and housing stability. The initiative commits $9 million over three years to support veterans facing homelessness risks.

The program partners with nonprofit organizations implementing evidence-informed services, particularly targeting underserved populations like women and veterans of color. Many organizations will utilize the Housing First model, which has proven successful in reducing housing placement time from 235 to 35 days and improving housing retention rates.

The selected organizations will focus on three key areas: mobilizing rapid re-housing assistance, navigating complex processes for veterans, and increasing pathways to permanent housing. The foundation prioritized grants in regions where The Cigna Group serves customers with high social determinant health risks, including Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.

Additionally, a $250,000 grant was awarded to Habitat for Humanity International to support veteran homeownership through the HUD-VASH initiative.

The Cigna Group Foundation announced its first round of grant recipients for The Health Equity Impact Fund, allocating $9 million to nonprofits over three years to reduce health disparities. The initial $3 million will be distributed among 15 nonprofits in Hartford, CT, and Houston, TX.

In Hartford, seven organizations will focus on increasing access to culturally appropriate care for Black and Hispanic adults, including health screenings and transportation services. In Houston, eight grantees will work on reducing obesity and diabetes prevalence in Hispanic adults through programs like diabetes reversal, nutrition education, and food accessibility initiatives.