Demorest votes to replace Cigna with Aetna after employees raise coverage concerns

Demorest City Council unanimously voted Jan. 2, 2024, to replace Cigna with Aetna as the city’s employee health-insurance carrier, setting Feb. 1, 2024, as the effective date. The 4-0 vote came after council members heard earlier that day that employees had encountered multiple issues with Cigna coverage.

The choice affects the health-care coverage used by city employees and the city’s insurance costs. In the recommendation presented to council, Aetna was listed at $29,204.79, compared with $31,772.21 for Cigna, a stated 10% decrease; the council’s action therefore paired a response to coverage concerns with a proposed savings figure.

The dispute grew out of the city’s 2023 coverage change, according to the Jan. 2 work-session minutes. As employees reported multiple problems with Cigna, staff brought council an analysis comparing the existing carrier with Aetna and recommended the change. Council then took up the recommendation in its regular action and approved the switch unanimously.

Employees’ concerns were the catalyst described in the work session, but the minutes do not specify the individual coverage problems, the number of employees affected, or any response from Cigna. Staff recommended Aetna after presenting the price comparison, and all four voting council members supported the change. The record does not describe a competing proposal or a dissenting council position.

The council vote and its stated Feb. 1 effective date are confirmed. The $29,204.79 Aetna figure, $31,772.21 Cigna figure and projected 10% decrease were part of the recommendation recorded in the minutes, rather than later proof of final billing or savings. The minutes also document that concerns were discussed, not that every claimed coverage problem was independently resolved.

The next public step is a later Demorest council, insurance or budget record showing what happened after the planned effective date. Such a record could establish whether enrollment and billing moved to Aetna as approved, whether provider-access issues arose, or whether the arrangement was amended or revisited. Those operational outcomes remain undecided in the record summarized here.