Edward Hanway Speaks at Washington Roundtable on Value-Driven Health Care
WASHINGTON, May 9, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Individuals can and
will make better health care decisions when given the education, motivation
and opportunity to do so, according to H. Edward Hanway, chairman and chief
executive officer of CIGNA Corporation. That, in turn, helps to drive down
health care costs and improve health care quality, paving the way for more
affordable health care for all Americans.
Hanway's remarks were delivered today at a roundtable of business and
government leaders convened by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary Michael O. Leavitt. The meeting focused on the country's shift to
a value-driven health care system that provides better care at a lower cost
and empowers consumers to make better health care decisions.
Hanway spoke about the critical importance of incentives for comparing
value as one of the Four Cornerstones that CIGNA has pledged to support,
joining hundreds of employers, unions, and federal, state, and local
governments who have committed their health plans to providing useful
information to consumers about the quality and cost of care delivered by
doctors, hospitals, and other providers. The other cornerstones to value-
driven health care include information technology, public reporting of
quality information, and public reporting of costs.
"When it comes to improving health and reducing costs, incentives
work," Hanway said. "When health care consumers have more choices and
support -- and more financial incentives to make the right choices -- the
quality of care improves and costs go down."
Hanway stressed that the ability to bring affordable, quality health
care to all Americans depends on the steady drumbeat of cost control and
improved quality.
He described how CIGNA addresses health care cost concerns in part
through the CIGNA Custom Benefit Builder(sm), an information tool that
provides consumers with an incentive to compare and choose their co-payment
and co-insurance levels, deductibles, and out of pocket maximum costs,
allowing consumers to see how much their tailored plan will cost.
The Custom Benefit Builder enables employers to offer a wider spectrum
of benefits choices -- from rich, full-coverage packages to more basic,
lower- cost programs. The tool gives employees the option to pay more or
less for their benefits, based on value, cost and personal requirements.
"Our country should not need to choose between two extremes --
expensive coverage or no coverage. There needs to be room in the mix for an
attractive but affordable option consumers can depend on to stay healthy
and secure," Hanway said.
Ultimately, Hanway said, personal responsibility and accountability,
coupled with readily accessible cost and quality information, reduces
health care costs and improves quality of care -- opening up the gateway to
affordable health care coverage.
For a copy of Hanway's remarks, contact Gloria.barone@cigna.com
About CIGNA
As a Business of Caring, CIGNA (NYSE: CI) provides employers with
benefits, expertise and services that improve the health, well-being and
productivity of their employees. With approximately 47 million covered
lives in the United States and around the world, CIGNA's operating
subsidiaries offer a full portfolio of medical, dental, behavioral health,
pharmacy and vision care benefits and group life, accident and disability
insurance.
SOURCE CIGNA
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CONTACT:
Gloria Barone, Corporate Communications,
CIGNA, +1-215-761-4758, gloria.barone@cigna.com
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