Cigna Medicare Part D 2023 Review

Cigna is the fifth-largest company offering Medicare Part D plans^[0]

Among the five largest Medicare Part D companies, Cigna has the highest average summary star rating, weighted by enrollment, from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS. And if you’re looking for a high-coverage Medicare Part D plan, Cigna offers some of the lowest prices, on average.

Here’s what you should know about Cigna Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.

Medicare prescription drug plans from Cigna have advantages and disadvantages.

Medicare beneficiaries with Original Medicare (Part A and/or Part B) can purchase a Medicare Part D plan for prescription drug coverage. Part D plans are sold by private insurance companies. The costs and coverage can vary significantly, so it’s important to compare options.

Cigna’s plan lineup is a little different for 2023. Last year’s Cigna Essential Rx plan has merged with the high-coverage Cigna Extra Rx plan, and there’s a new low-cost plan: Cigna Saver Rx.

Cigna’s 2023 Medicare prescription drug plans are as follows^[0]

• Cigna Saver Rx: Cigna describes this plan as “modest coverage and great value” with “a very low monthly premium and very low cost for many generics.”

• Cigna Secure Rx: Cigna describes this plan as “basic coverage” with “a low monthly premium, low copays, and low costs for many generics and insulins.”

• Cigna Extra Rx: Cigna describes this plan as “a very high level of coverage” with “a higher monthly premium, more robust drug coverage, low out-of-pocket costs, and gap coverage for some medications.”

Stand-alone Cigna Medicare prescription drug plans are available in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico^[0]

Cigna offers all three of its stand-alone Medicare Part D plans in all of its markets.

Cigna Medicare Part D premiums and deductibles

With the introduction of the new Saver Rx plan, Cigna’s lowest Medicare Part D premium has dropped by over $20 per month, on average. Average premiums for the Cigna Secure Rx plan are about the same as they were last year, and the average Cigna Extra Rx premium is about $4 more expensive in 2023.

Here are the 2023 premiums and deductibles for Cigna’s stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans^[0]

» If you have concerns about affording Medicare Part D, look into Medicare Extra Help.

Cigna Medicare Part D drug formulary tiers

A formulary is a list of the prescription drugs covered by an insurance plan. The plans often organize different kinds of drugs into tiers according to the cost of the drugs.

Cigna prescription drug plans use a five-tier and a six-tier formulary^[0]

Each tier has copay or coinsurance requirements. You’ll generally pay more for drugs listed in higher tiers up to Tier 4, but Tier 5 specialty drugs have a lower coinsurance requirement than Tier 4 drugs. Tier 6 drugs have either $0 or relatively low out-of-pocket costs.

The drugs included in tiers and what you’ll pay for each tier depends on your choice of prescription drug plan and what kind of pharmacy you use. For example, Cigna plans often have the lowest copays for 90-day supplies of Tier 1-2 drugs from their preferred mail-order pharmacies. Retail pharmacies and smaller quantities from preferred mail-order pharmacies often have low copays, and you’ll pay more at a standard (non-preferred) pharmacy.

$0-deductible options

All three of Cigna’s plans have no deductible for drugs on certain tiers:

• Cigna Saver Rx: $0 deductible for Tier 1-2 drugs. The deductible is $505 for Tier 3-5 drugs.

• Cigna Secure Rx: $0 deductible for Tier 1 and Tier 6 drugs, except in Puerto Rico, where only Tier 1 has a $0 deductible. The deductible is $505 for Tier 2-6 drugs in Puerto Rico and Tier 2-5 drugs everywhere else.

• Cigna Extra Rx: $0 deductible for Tier 1-3 and Tier 6 drugs. The deductible is $100 for Tier 4-5 drugs.

$0-copay options

All three Cigna prescription drug plans offer $0 copays in certain circumstances, but the specifics vary. Copays and coinsurance for higher tiers can quickly get more expensive. As a result, it’s important to check where your medications and pharmacies fall on each plan’s formulary.

Here are the $0-copay options for each of Cigna’s Medicare Part D plans:

• Cigna Saver Rx: $0 copay for Tier 1 drugs from preferred retail pharmacies and preferred mail-order pharmacies.

• Cigna Secure Rx: $0 copay for any supply of Tier 6 drugs from preferred retail pharmacies and for 90-day supplies of Tier 1-2 drugs from preferred mail-order pharmacies.

• Cigna Extra Rx: $0 copay for any supply of Tier 6 drugs from preferred retail or mail-order pharmacies and for 90-day supplies of Tier 1 drugs from preferred mail-order pharmacies.

Coinsurance vs. copay requirements

You’ll want to check whether you’ll pay a copay or coinsurance for your medications. Copays are set dollar amounts, so it’s easy to know what you’ll pay. Coinsurance is a percentage of the price for your medications, so coinsurance requirements can be less predictable and more expensive.

All three of Cigna’s Part D plans have copays for Tiers 1-3 and coinsurance for Tiers 4-5. The Secure Rx and Extra Rx plans also have copays for Tier 6.

You can enter your medications and pharmacy information on Cigna’s website to see which drugs are covered and review your estimated costs with different plan options.

» MORE: How much does Medicare Part D cost?

Average Part D star rating, weighted by enrollment: 3.5 stars

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rates Medicare Part D plans on 12 quality measures. (You can find definitions for each of these factors in the CMS Star Ratings Technical Notes.)

These ratings use a 5-point scale where 5 is the best and 1 is the worst. The agency bases its ratings on drug plans’ quality of service and customer experiences, and ratings are updated annually.

Based on the most recent year of data, stand-alone Cigna plans get an average of 3.5 stars. The 2023 average for all stand-alone Medicare Part D plans from all providers, weighted by enrollment, was 3.25 stars^[0]

Compare Cigna Part D star ratings

Stand-alone Medicare Part D plans from Cigna outperformed the national average on five Part D measures, but fell behind the national average on the other seven measures^[0]

Here’s how stand-alone Cigna plans compared with national averages for each of the 12 Part D measures^[0]

American Customer Satisfaction Index: 68 out of 100

The American Customer Satisfaction Index, or ACSI, rates consumer satisfaction with products and services based on a scientific model developed at the University of Michigan. Ratings are derived from surveys that measure consumers’ expectations and perceived quality and value of products and services.

In 2021, Cigna scored 68 out of 100 on the ACSI health insurance satisfaction benchmark^[0]

AM Best Financial Strength Rating: A

AM Best is a credit rating agency that specializes in the insurance industry. In June 2022, AM Best affirmed its Financial Strength Rating, or FSR, of A (Excellent) for Cigna Corp., including its U.S. life/health subsidiaries and health maintenance organizations^[0]

An A rating in this category indicates that Cigna has an excellent ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, according to AM Best.

Cigna, headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, was created in 1982 when Connecticut General Corp., or CG, and the Insurance Company of North America — known as INA — merged. Cigna offers health insurance for individuals and families, dental insurance, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, Medicare Supplement Insurance, and other insurance coverage such as whole life and cancer treatment insurance. The company also offers insurance for businesses. In 2021, Cigna posted $174.1 billion in adjusted revenues.

Read the NerdWallet reviews of these other Cigna Medicare offerings:

• Cigna Medicare Advantage.

• Cigna Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap).