The number of specialty drugs on the market has increased by 280% over the last two decades, offering new hope to patients with chronic, serious, and sometimes life-threatening conditions. Cost can be a barrier to these groundbreaking treatments, however. While less than 2% of the population uses specialty drugs, those prescriptions account for 51% of total pharmacy spending. 

In this episode, Matt Perlberg, president of the Evernorth Health Services pharmacy businesses, discusses what specialty pharmacies do, the specialty drug pipeline, and how Evernorth’s specialty pharmacy capabilities help patients and their plan sponsors get the most out of these innovative medicines in the most cost-effective way.

Health is extremely personal, emotional, and it means something different to every individual. On the other hand, health care can often feel impersonal, fragmented, and complex. As a result, it lags far behind other industries in meeting consumer expectations.

In this episode of the Health Unscripted Podcast, Katya Andresen, chief digital and analytics officer at The Cigna Group, discusses achieving customer-centricity in health care – starting with the consumer and their needs, then building diverse teams to get the best (but not always the easiest) answer or solution. 

Over the last decade, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) has become an increasingly foundational part of global business. A recent survey found 82% of corporate respondents listed investor demand among their top three reasons for engaging with ESG raters, with ESG gaining prominence among consumers, investors, and employees alike.

In this episode, Nancy Oliphant Ryan, ESG leader at The Cigna Group, explores why ESG is a mission-critical focus area for businesses and ways leaders can identify and align ESG to their company values. She also highlights The Cigna Group’s approach to ESG, and shares her thoughts on the future of ESG.  

Employers have a significant role to play in advancing equity and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 46% of LGBTQ+ workers are closeted at work and 13% feel that if they were honest about their sexuality, they would be fired. This is compounded by the fact that the LGBTQ+ community is more likely to report a lack of cultural competence by health care providers and is more likely to report poor quality of care and unfair treatment.

In our latest episode of the Health Unscripted Podcast, Dr. Renee McLaughlin, national medical executive at Cigna Healthcare, sits down with Julia Huggins, senior vice president of U.S. Commercial at Cigna Healthcare, to discuss ways employers can advance LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion – exploring how to create a sense of belonging, address health disparities, and improve access to care and mental health.

Poor mental health in the workforce can have a negative impact on a company’s bottom line. For example, research shows that employers experience significant reductions in workplace productivity from employees with symptoms of major depression. The problem is that 45% of American adults struggling with mental health conditionsThis link will open in a new tab. are also struggling to find the care they need.

In this episode of the Health Unscripted Podcast, Eva Borden, president of Behavioral Health at Evernorth, the health services division of The Cigna Group, talks about the future of mental health care – exploring how a more proactive, guided and data-driven approach to mental health can make care better, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes.

Today's workers want to feel meaningfully connected to the work they do. A recent Harris Poll proves it: 84% of respondents said they would only work for a purpose-driven company. In the first episode of "Health Unscripted," a new podcast from The Cigna Group, chairman and CEO David Cordani shares his perspective on leading a purpose-driven organization. During the discussion, he explores his personal and professional experience with the nonprofit organization Achilles International and reflects on the ways purpose guided The Cigna Group during the COVID-19 pandemic and, most recently, the company’s pioneering research on vitality as the next-generation measure of health.