Humana vs. Cigna Insurance

When comparing Humana and Cigna, Humana emerges as the more reliable health insurance provider, especially for Medicare members, due to the widespread availability of its Medicare Advantage plans and its proven track record as evidenced by its large market share.

That said, Cigna has one major advantage in that its huge global network dwarfs Humana’s network. As a result, there are undoubtedly some customers for whom Cigna is the better choice despite the limited availability of some of its key plan structures.

Keep reading to see more Humana vs. Cigna insurance comparisons and figure out which company is best suited to address your coverage needs.

Key Takeaways Humana and Cigna both operate in every U.S. state, D.C. and Puerto Rico but Cigna’s Medicare Advantage and individual and family plans are limited to a smaller number of states. Although Humana has a much larger market share in the Medicare Part C and broader health insurance markets, Cigna has a much larger network that includes providers around the world. Humana tends to receive slightly better reviews than Cigna from customers on online rating platforms. The myCigna app has slightly better reviews than the MyHumana app on average.

Humana History

Before adopting its current moniker, Humana was founded in 1961 as a nursing home company known as Extendicare. It later started running hospitals before finally transitioning to health insurance sales in the 1980s. Humana’s commitment to improving health outcomes currently extends beyond insurance coverage to include initiatives like preserving the environment and investing in equity-focused programs.^[1]

Previously, Humana was slated to merge with Aetna. However, the deal came to a halt in 2017 when a district court allowed the United States Department of Justice to issue an injunction against the merger. Afterward, the two health insurance companies agreed to abandon the deal and they remain separate today.^[2]

Click here to read our full Humana review.

Cigna History

Cigna as it exists today was born in 1982 out of the merger of two longstanding health insurance providers: the Insurance Company of North America (INA), which was formed in 1792, and the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, which was formed in 1865.^[3]

Cigna and its predecessors have played a prominent role in many aspects of American history. For example, INA paid out claims to help rebuild large parts of Chicago and San Francisco after they were impacted by natural disasters in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, Cigna’s reach extends beyond the United States to numerous countries around the world.^[3]

Click here to read our full Cigna review.

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: A Quick Glance

Comparison	Humana	Cigna
Plan Structures	HMO, PPO,EPO, POS, HMO-POS, CDHP, FSA, HDHP, HSA, Indemnity, Medicaid, Medicare, SNP	HMO, PPO, EPO, POS, HMO-POS, CDHP, FSA, HDHP, HSA, Indemnity, Medicaid, Medicare, SNP
Availability	50 states plus D.C. and Puerto Rico	50 states plus D.C. and Puerto Rico
Coverage Limit	Varies	Varies
Deductible	Varies	Varies
Maximum Annual Benefit	Varies	Varies
Waiting Period	Varies	Varies
Providers In-Network	22,000 participating providers	1.7 million health care professionals
Covers Telehealth	Yes	Yes
Policy Management	Phone, mobile app or online account	Phone, mobile app or online account

Humana Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Higher market share than Cigna for Medicare Advantage and health insurance in general[4][5]	Significantly smaller network than Cigna
Sells Medicare Part C plans in almost every state along with Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

Cigna Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Best customer satisfaction ratings of any health insurance carrier in New Jersey[6]	Limited availability of important plan structures such as Medicare Advantage and Marketplace individual and family plans
Massive global network

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: Plan Structures

Humana and Cigna generally offer the same types of coverage, although certain plan structures may only be available in a limited number of states. For example, Humana only administersMedicaid benefits to members in eight states through its Healthy Horizons program.^[7] You should also note that Humana is in the process of phasing out its employer-sponsored health insurance plans but will still continue to offer dental, vision and life insurance plans through employers.^[8]

Plan	Humana	Cigna
Individual & Family	✓	✓
Medicare Advantage	✓	✓
Medicaid	✓	✓
Dental	✓	✓
Vision	✓	✓
Employer Group	✓	✓

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: Plan Availability

Humana and Cigna are technically tied when it comes to availability since both insurers operate in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. However, Humana takes the lead when you consider the fact that some of Cigna’s key plan structures are limited to a smaller number of states.

For example, Humana sells Medicare Advantage plans in 49 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico but Cigna only offers Medicare Advantage plans in 29 states and D.C.^[9][10] In addition, Marketplace individual and family health insurance plans from Cigna are only available in 14 states.^[11]

Nevertheless, some of Cigna’s plan structures are available throughout most of the country. For example, the company offers standalone prescription drug plans in all of its service areas and providesMedicare Supplement options in 48 states plus D.C.^[10]

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: In-Network Providers

Cigna has a clear advantage over Humana when it comes to the size and scope of its network. Cigna’s massive network includes close to 1.7 million health care professionals around the world as of 2021.^[12] Meanwhile, Humana has a much more modest network comprising about 22,000 participating providers in the United States as of 2022.^[13]

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: Cost

Health insurance rates from Humana and Cigna can vary significantly from person to person since policies are often specifically tailored to the needs of each individual. You can expect these factors to influence how much you have to pay for coverage if you shop for a Marketplace health plan:^[14]

• Age
• Location
• Tobacco use
• Whether you purchase an individual plan or a family plan
• Plan tier

Thehealth insurance tier system helps indicate which plans come with high premiums and which plans come with high out-of-pocket costs like deductibles, copays and coinsurance. If you would prefer to prepare for higher out-of-pocket costs each time you receive medical services, you should select a bronze or silver plan. However, if you would rather budget for higher premiums, you should choose a gold or platinum plan.^[15]

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: Coverage Limits

Like health insurance costs, coverage limits are not standard across health plans from Humana or Cigna. No matter what coverage limits come with your health plan, keep in mind that insurance companies legally cannot set a limit on any of the following essential health benefits:^[16][17]

• Ambulatory patient services
• Emergency services
• Hospitalization
• Pregnancy, maternity and newborn care
• Mental health and substance use disorder services
• Prescription drugs
• Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
• Laboratory services
• Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
• Pediatric services (including dental and vision care for children)

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: Policy Management

Humana and Cigna have similar policy management options, with both companies allowing you to access details about your plan via phone, online portal or mobile app. Depending on which insurer you select, you can use the MyHumana or myCigna app to view your ID cards, find doctors, manage your claims and more.

The myCigna app is slightly more favorably reviewed than the MyHumana app, most notably boasting a near-perfect star rating from users on the App Store. Both companies also offer secondary apps that can fulfill various purposes such as Humana’s CenterWell Pharmacy app for managing prescriptions and the Cigna Wellbeing app for accessing telehealth.

App	Google Play Store Rating	Apple App Store Rating
MyHumana	3.6/5 stars[18]	2.9/5 stars[19]
myCigna	2.5/5 stars[20]	4.8/5 stars[21]

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: Medical Loss Ratio

An insurer’s medical loss ratio (MLR) is the percentage of its revenue that is used to give its customers a better experience. For example, if a health insurance provider has an MLR of 80%, that means the company uses 80% of the money from its customers’ premiums to pay out claims and improve the quality of customer care overall, with the other 20% going toward profits and administrative expenses.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) set minimum MLR thresholds that health insurers must meet on average over the course of a three-year period. Insurance carriers that fail to meet these requirements have to pay proportional rebates to their policyholders. The minimum MLR for individual and smallgroup health insurance markets is 80%, while the minimum MLR for large group markets is 85%.^[22]

Humana has not announced any rebates for 2024 and the insurance segment of the company has a three-year rolling average MLR of 87.27% as of the end of 2023.^[23][24] Cigna similarly hasn’t announced any rebates for 2024 and has a three-year rolling average MLR of 82.33% as of the end of 2023.^[25][26]

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: Enrollment Process

You can purchase a Marketplace health plan from Humana or Cigna during the first open enrollment period from November 1 to December 15 to receive coverage that will begin on January 1. If you instead shop during the second open enrollment period from December 16 to January 15, then your coverage will begin on February 1.^[27]

There are also Medicare open enrollment periods to keep in mind if you intend to purchase a Medicare Advantage plan from either Humana or Cigna. See the below table for an overview of important Medicare registration deadlines.^[28]

Enrollment Period	What You Can Do
Three months before your Medicare coverage starts to three months after your Medicare coverage starts	Enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan as long as you have already signed up for Medicare Parts A and B
October 15 to December 7	Switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another or drop Medicare Advantage and go back to Original Medicare
January 1 to March 31 (or any time during your first three months on Medicare)	Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another or drop Medicare Advantage and go back to Original Medicare

Outside of these windows of time, you can only buy health insurance if you qualify for a special enrollment period. You may be eligible for a special enrollment period if a life event like one of the following occurs and changes your health coverage needs:^[29]

• Getting married, divorced or separated
• Giving birth to or adopting a child
• Changing or losing your job
• Moving to a new home
• Losing your existing health coverage due to the death of a family member
• Aging out of your parents’ health plan by turning 26
• Becoming a United States citizen
• Leaving prison

Humana vs. Cigna Insurance: Policyholder Experience

Humana has marginally better customer satisfaction ratings than Cigna according to reviews from websites like ConsumerAffairs, the Better Business Bureau and Best Company, though neither carrier has an exceptional star rating. For a full breakdown of each company’s average star rating, see the below table.

Review Platform	Humana Rating	Cigna Rating
ConsumerAffairs	2/5 stars[30]	1.3/5 stars[31]
Better Business Bureau	1.2/5 stars[32]	1.07/5 stars[33]
Best Company	1.6/5 stars[34]	1.8/5 stars[35]

How To File Claims With Humana and Cigna

Humana and Cigna are similar in regards to their claims submission options, with Humana allowing members to submit claims via online portal, mail or fax depending on the type of claim form they are filling out and Cigna allowing members to submit claims digitally on its website or fill out forms and send them in via email.^[36][37]

Not every doctor or hospital visit will require an insurance claim on your part since in-network providers will often file a claim for you. However, it’s possible that you will need to file a claim for yourself if you visit a health care provider outside of your insurance company’s network.