financial services

Cigna Endorsers: They're Not Doctors, But They Play Them On TV

Cigna is launching a tongue-in-cheek ad campaign featuring the likes of Patrick Dempsey, Alan Alda, Noah Wyle, Donald Faison and Lisa Edelstein. 

While the delivery may be comical, the message is serious. The health services company is encouraging consumers to get an annual check-up as a way to improve an individual’s health and encourage a dialogue with his or her health care provider.

The TV doctors will appear in a multimedia platform including TV, digital and social media, and will use their star power to help influence consumers to go get their annual check-ups, know their key health numbers for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and Body Mass Index (BMI), and take control of their health.

The campaign, from McCann, is themed “Go. Know. Take Control.” The effort involves a dedicated Web site that includes tools and resources to help understand and manage health. The site includes a smartphone app and cost calculators.

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“We’re informing consumers of new ways to help them understand the importance of the annual check-up while also emphasizing the need to know key health numbers,” said Stephen Cassell, Cigna global brand officer, in a release. 

Cigna's goal is to help save 100,000 lives a year, the number of lives the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates would be saved if everyone received his or her recommended preventive care. According to the CDC, Americans use preventive services at only about half the recommended rate. The campaign encourages all consumers to get their annual check-up, which most health plans cover at 100% as part of a suite of preventive services.

Additionally, the campaign reminds consumers to know their BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar numbers, which are the main drivers of managing and reducing health care costs. Recent Cigna health studies show that understanding simple personal information about these four health numbers can help individuals save as much as $1,400 a year in out-of-pocket costs.

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