By Sriparna Roy
(Reuters) -U.S. health insurer Cigna Group will hire more staff in people-facing roles and link executive compensation to customer satisfaction as part of sweeping measures to address widespread criticism over medical care denials and delays.
The Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson, the head of UnitedHealth’s insurance unit, sparked an outpouring of anger from Americans on social media, calling fresh attention to deepening customer frustration over health coverage.
“We recognize that the way we will get trust back is not through our words, it’s not even through our actions. It’s through the results that people will see,” David Brailer, Cigna’s chief health officer, said in a video posted on the company’s website.
The company said it would add new concierge teams to support customers experiencing challenges with prior authorization or with claims payments.
Cigna also plans to double the number of employees, which it expects will largely be hired externally, to help support patients during the treatment process.
“It’s a step in the right direction from a political and general public sentiment standpoint,” said Kevin Gade, chief operating officer at Bahl & Gaynor.
It also plans to expand the digital communication options for physicians, including through its provider portal or directly through the electronic medical record, which offers an easier way to submit all the required information.
UnitedHealth last month said it would work with policymakers to reduce the frequency of prior authorization approvals required before a patient can access treatment in its Medicare business for people aged 65 and older or with disabilities.
Starting early 2026, Cigna plans to publish an annual transparency report which would include information such as claim resolution statistics.
The company last week announced actions to help lower out-of-pocket cost of prescription drugs.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Sriraj Kalluvila)
