Cigna Begins New Year with Accolades, New Leadership and New Plans.

Posted on Feb 27, 2013 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)

2013 is looking to be another promising year for insurance giant Cigna, as the company continues to win prestigious awards, bring in new leadership in key regions and expand services to win new clients. In January, Cigna Global Health Benefits Asia-Pacific received the "Employee Benefits and Services Provider of the Year" award at the annual Asian Expatriate Management and Mobility Award in Hong Kong. These awards are often considered the "Oscars" of the international mobile profession. Cigna's award demonstrates the company's overall superiority in the area of employee health insurance. "Cigna's flexible approach and commitment to the individual customer can ease some of the pain and frustration that can be present in difficult medical situations," said one of the panel judges from the Forum for Expatriate Management team (FEM) at the Asia-Pacific Global Mobility Summit. "Receiving this award on behalf of the Cigna team is an honor. Being recognized by some of the most respected names in the Global Mobility industry validates that our commitment to our customers and partners is making a difference at many levels. It also demonstrates the value we provide to our customers by providing easy access to quality health care around the world," said Ken Vaughan, Managing Director, Cigna Global Health Benefits, Asia-Pacific Region. "This achievement will continue to inspire us to improve and build our service proposition and solution set to meet our customers' global health care needs." Awards of this nature are common for Cigna, as in 2012 the internationally renowned insurance company won several awards for their excellence in international health insurance, including the "2012 International Benefits Provider of the Year" award at the EMMAs held in Las Vegas and the "Best Group International Private Medical Insurance Provider" at the 2012 Health Insurance Awards in London. In addition to receiving prestigious awards, Cigna has also made some adjustments to their leadership, particularly in the increasingly important Asia region. The company recently appointed Jim Heng to lead business development for Cigna's international individual PMI business with its Global Health Option plans in Asia, and he will be responsible for developing key Asia markets and supporting intermediaries and bancassurance partners. "I'm delighted to have Jim take on this important role for Cigna Global Health Options," said Phil Austin, Head of Global Individual Private Medical Insurance (IPMI). "The Asia market is very important to us, so I'm certain that with Jim's wealth of experience in the insurance industry and track record of achieving results, we can continue to build our presence in Asia at rapid pace." Part of Heng's responsibilities will include building Cigna's business in Asia and driving profitable growth, targeting high net worth and globally mobile individuals through bancassurance and intermediary channels - primarily in Hong Kong and Singapore. This role is a crucial one for Cigna, as Asia continues to grow economically and consumer spending on healthcare continues and is projected to experience exponential growth in the next few years. Cigna Global Health Option plans offer customers flexible health insurance plans with easy access to healthcare facilities around the globe. The services included with Global Health Option plans include international medical insurance, health and well-being services, vision and dental insurance and emergency evacuation. "I'm excited to assume this role. This is an excellent opportunity to strengthen Cigna's position as the premier provider of products and solutions that support the health, well-being and sense of security of consumers in the global individual market," said Heng. Lastly, Cigna Global Health Benefits Europe recently entered a new sector in the insurance industry with the launch of international private insurance 'Cigna Energy Plans' for oil rig workers in the niche oil and gas sector. These new plans are intended for groups of two or more workers regardless of if they work onshore or offshore. Some of the services that the new plans will offer will include international emergency services, including evacuation and repatriation, inpatient and outpatient cancer treatment and chronic conditions.