SCHENECTADY, N.Y., and BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MVP Health Care/Preferred Care and CIGNA HealthCare today announced a strategic alliance to offer a broad suite of health insurance and self-funded health benefits plans to employers with employees located in New York and other states. These plans will focus on high quality care and lower total cost, and will be marketed immediately for effective dates beginning July 1, 2007. "This alliance means that customers with a presence in upstate New York and other locations across the country will be able to offer all employees high quality, cost-competitive health plans no matter where they are based," said David W. Oliker, MVP Health Care/Preferred Care president and CEO. "By adding the reach of a well-respected national health plan, we increase our scope as a major regional plan." "MVP Health Care/Preferred Care's strong relationships with providers throughout upstate New York supports our goals for delivering superior service, quality and cost performance for employers and members in the region," said CIGNA HealthCare President David Cordani. "Our alliance brings together two industry leaders which focus on the clinical quality of their network providers and offer both local and national customers attractive new options for superior, cost-competitive health care coverage." The CIGNA-MVP Health Care/Preferred Care alliance will combine CIGNA HealthCare's national provider network of nearly 500,000 providers and 5,000 hospitals and health care facilities with MVP Health Care/Preferred Care's network of more than 19,000 providers and 151 hospitals and health care facilities. The product suite will offer industry-leading quality of care and medical management, strong disease management and wellness programs, and seamless member access and customer service. As a strategic alliance, CIGNA HealthCare and MVP Health Care/Preferred Care will remain separate companies and will continue to compete outside of the alliance's offerings. Today's announcement marks the fourth such agreement for CIGNA HealthCare in less than two years. Other strategic alliances with regional health plans include New England-based Tufts Health Plan, Minneapolis-based HealthPartners and a strategic affiliation with Michigan- based Health Alliance Plan. In January 2006, MVP Health Care of Schenectady and Preferred Care of Rochester, combined, creating a major new organization serving 710,000 members across upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Nationally Recognized Quality Care and Service CIGNA HealthCare and MVP Health Care/Preferred Care are recognized leaders in delivering health plans that focus on quality of care and superior service. For example, CIGNA HealthCare has scored higher on average than other national carriers in the majority of key Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS(R)) measures of preventive and chronic care for four years in a row. The company has also received the 2005 Health Plan/Managed Care Organization Disease Management Leadership Award for the effectiveness of programs that that help members with chronic medical conditions better manage their health. Both MVP Health Care/Preferred Care and CIGNA HealthCare also outperform industry service standards in such key performance metrics as claims processing, payment accuracy, first-call resolution and call quality to support ease of use, efficiency and informed choice. MVP Health Care/Preferred Care* are listed among "America's Best Health Plans" by U.S. News & World Report/NCQA Best Health Plans in America 2005, and CIGNA HealthCare is the first national health carrier to be recognized for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center ProgramSM. * MVP Health Plan Inc. (HMO and HMO/POS), Rochester Area health Maintenance Organization Inc.(HMO and Medicare Advantage HMO) products. About CIGNA HealthCare As a Business of Caring, CIGNA provides employers with benefits programs, expertise and services that improve the health, well-being and productivity of their employees. CIGNA HealthCare, headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, provides medical benefits plans, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage, pharmacy benefits and products and services that integrate and analyze information to support consumerism and health advocacy. "CIGNA HealthCare" refers to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI).Products and services are provided by these operating subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation. (http://www.cigna.com/) About MVP Health Care/Preferred Care MVP Health Care Inc. provides fully-insured and self-funded employer health benefits plans, dental insurance and ancillary products, such as flexible spending accounts in New York state, Vermont and New Hampshire through its operating subsidiaries, MVP Health Plan Inc., MVP Select Care Inc., MVP Health Insurance Company, MVP Health Services Corp., MVP Health Plan of New Hampshire Inc. MVP Health Insurance Company of New Hampshire Inc., Rochester Area Health Maintenance Organization, Inc., Preferred Assurance Company Inc., and Preferred Administrative Services Inc., N.Y., Preferred Care, MVP Health Care/Preferred Care refers to the various operating subsidiaries of MVP Health Care Inc. Products and services are provided by these operating subsidiaries and not by MVP Health Care, Inc. DATASOURCE: CIGNA HealthCare CONTACT: Gary Hughes, MVP HealthCare, +1-518-388-2319, , or Mike Traphagan, Preferred Care, +1-585-327-2333, , or Joseph Mondy, CIGNA HealthCare, +1-860-226-5499, Web site: http://www.cigna.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/165050.html

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