Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health System and Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna inked a multiyear contract effective Sept. 1.
Under the agreement, Mission Health's hospitals, outpatient centers and physicians will continue to accept Cigna policyholders as in-network. The network spans Cigna's commercial and employer-based health plans.
Paul McDowell, deputy CFO of Mission Health, said, "We believe a much more competitive insurance market in western North Carolina will greatly benefit large and small group employers and consumers alike."
The agreement with Cigna comes as negotiations between Mission Health and North Carolina's largest insurer, Durham-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, stall.