Cigna and Oscar Health are bringing their cobranded health plan to Connecticut.
The insurers announced Wednesday that the Cigna + Oscar plan, which is targeted at small businesses, will be available in the Constitution State starting on July 1. The partners also announced earlier this month that the plan would expand its footprint in California.
The Cigna + Oscar plans were initially available in Atlanta, Tennessee and select California counties, namely the San Francisco bay area.
“Connecticut’s small businesses need more choice and value in their health care coverage options, and that is what we will offer them and their employees through this innovative partnership,” said Wendy Sherry, president of Cigna Connecticut, in a statement.
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“The Cigna + Oscar health plans will provide affordable, predictable and simple health care coverage that prioritizes whole-person health, at a time when small business owners and their employees need it most," Sherry said.
The plans are built around Cigna's provider network and Oscar Health's technology platforms. The startup insurer also launched +Oscar this week, a new business arm that aims to make its tech tools more readily available to third-party payers and providers.
Small businesses in Connecticut strongly felt the impacts of the pandemic, the companies said, with 37% saying they were forced to shut down since the beginning.
These smaller firms are also putting a greater focus on their workers' health than they may have pre-COVID, with 66% of respondents to a joint Cigna-Oscar survey saying that health insurance is now a more important budget item.
“Small businesses have had to be resilient throughout the pandemic, and it’s exciting to see them begin reopening their doors for business,” said Louis DeStefano, head of the small group business and senior vice president of growth at Oscar, in a statement.
“Cigna + Oscar is designed to help these businesses keep their doors open for the years to come by offering affordable health plans specific to their employees’ needs and budgets," DeStafano said.