at a glance
- Cigna offers Medicare Part D prescription coverage in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
- Cigna’s three stand-alone Part D plans are available to anyone who’s eligible for Medicare Part A or enrolled in Medicare Part B.
- Cigna also offers Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage.
Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company is a large international insurance company. It offers three stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.
Cigna offers Part D plans in all 50 states and across U.S. territories. In 16 states and Washington, DC, Cigna also offers a variety of Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage.
Read on to learn more about Cigna’s Medicare Part D plans, what they cover, and how much they may cost.
Cigna offers three different stand-alone prescription drug plans for people eligible for or enrolled in Medicare Part A, Medicare Part B, or both.
Each one of these plans has different costs and levels of coverage.
Before we dive into each plan, it might be helpful to review how drug plan formularies work, which we describe in the box below:
Cigna’s prescription drug plan formulary
Like all prescription drug plans, Cigna’s Part D plans have a formulary. This is a list of all the medications the plan covers. The list ranks each prescription drug into tiers based on how much it costs.
Cigna orders its tiers in the following way:
- Tier 1: preferred generic
- Tier 2: generic
- Tier 3: preferred brand
- Tier 4: nonpreferred brand
- Tier 5: specialty
- Tier 6: select care
Generally, the higher the tier, the higher the cost. One way to keep your costs low is to use Cigna’s preferred generic medications when possible.
Cigna Secure Rx
Cigna recommends this plan for people who prefer low premiums, low copays, and basic coverage. Cigna Secure Rx has no deductible for drugs ranked at tiers 1, 2, and 6.
With this plan, you won’t pay a deductible for most generics and insulins, but there is an annual deductible of $480 for tier 3, 4, and 5 drugs. Many people who receive Extra Help opt for Cigna Secure Rx plans.
Cigna Essential RX
This plan is Cigna’s middle-of-the-road option. It offers savings on generics, low premiums, low copays, and no deductible for tier 1 and 2 drugs.
Cigna Secure-Essential Rx has an annual deductible of $480 for tier 3, 4, and 5 medications.
Cigna Extra Rx
Cigna recommends this plan for people who need high-level cost protection. With higher monthly premiums than the other plans, Cigna Secure-Extra Rx has no deductible for tier 1, 2, 3, and 6 medications and a $100 annual deductible for tier 4 and 5 drugs.
To find out whether Cigna has certain Part D or Medicare Advantage plans where you live, you can enter your ZIP code into Cigna’s online search tool. You can also use Medicare’s plan finder tool to compare plans from several companies.
The costs for Cigna’s Part D plans vary depending on where you live and which plan you choose.
In 2022, here’s how much you’ll pay in monthly premiums for Cigna’s three stand-alone Medicare Part D plans in different areas of the country:
| Los Angeles, CA | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Chicago, IL | Philadelphia, PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigna Secure Rx | $46.10 | $33.10 | $33.10 | $36.80 |
| Cigna Essential Rx | $45.90 | $30.20 | $30.20 | $33.20 |
| Cigna Extra Rx | $71.60 | $66.80 | $66.80 | $61.70 |
How do I check which medications are covered by Cigna prescription drug benefits?
Cigna’s website offers a search tool that allows you to enter the name of any drug and the plan you’re considering. The tool shows the price of the drug in your area with the plan you have selected.
How do I find a Cigna Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan or stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan that covers my medications?
Cigna and Medicare both offer online search tools that allow you to enter your ZIP code to find out which plans are available where you live. You can use the search tool to compare plans and find the one that best fits your needs and your budget.
Medicare Part A and Part B, known together as original Medicare, cover medications in only certain limited circumstances. If you need prescription drug coverage, you can buy a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan from a private insurance company, such as Cigna.
You can buy the plan as an individual add-on to original Medicare, or you can purchase a Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) plan with Part D coverage included. Premiums, deductibles, and cost sharing will vary from plan to plan and state to state.
It’s important to understand how your prescription drug benefit will work with your other health insurance before you enroll in a plan. If you don’t have creditable prescription drug coverage when you sign up for Medicare, you could face higher costs later on.
Medicare adds a late enrollment penalty to your monthly premium if you don’t have prescription drug coverage and then sign up for Part D later. That late enrollment penalty will be added to your costs as long as you have Medicare Part D coverage.
Cigna offers several options for people seeking Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage. In all 50 states and U.S. territories, Cigna offers three stand-alone plans with different deductibles, premiums, and benefits.
Costs are generally lower when you use preferred generic medications supplied by one of Cigna’s many preferred pharmacies.
Whether you choose a stand-alone plan or a Medicare Advantage plan for your drug coverage, pay close attention to enrollment periods so you don’t end up paying a late enrollment fee when you do sign up.