New Medicare Enrollments for Cigna Plans Temporarily Suspended Due to CMS Sanctions

On January 21, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) imposed temporary sanctions on Cigna-HealthSpring. For the time being Cigna-HealthSpring cannot accept new enrollments into its Medicare Part D prescription drug and Medicare Advantage plans. There is no action needed for currently enrolled participants.

No impact to current plans, but adversely-impacted individuals can call Medicare
In February, Cigna-HealthSpring began mailing letters to participants enrolled in their plans to let them know about the sanctions and what it means to them. The letters explain that their Cigna-HealthSpring plans won’t change and no action is necessary. However, if an individual feels he or she has been adversely impacted by any actions from Cigna , he or she may be eligible for a special enrollment period that will allow him or her to enroll in a new Medicare plan. To find out if the individual qualifies for a special enrollment period, he or she should call 800.MEDICARE (800.486.2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hearing impaired callers should call 877.486.2048 for TTY service.

If a participant has more questions about the sanctions, he or she also can contact Cigna-HealthSpring at 888.201.4963, 8 am to 8 pm, Monday-Friday, and 8 am to 6 pm on Saturday. A messaging service is available after hours and on federal holidays. For TTY service, call 711 and enter Cigna-HealthSpring’s toll-free number.