Cigna to exit Affordable Care Act market
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Cigna to exit Affordable Care Act market CEO David Cordani is stepping down in July. Accounting & Financial Management By Susan Morse , Executive Editor | April 30, 2026 | 11:20 AM COO Brian Evanko (left) will succeed CEO David Cordani as head of The Cigna Group. Photo: Courtesy of Cigna Cigna Group Chair and CEO David Cordani opened the company’s Q1 earnings call by saying it was “bittersweet” since this was his last quarterly earnings call.Cordani, who has led the company for 17 years, is stepping down in July and will serve as executive chair.Brian Evanko, Cigna’s president and COO, will succeed him.Cigna announced it was exiting the Affordable Care Act market at the end of the year.The primary drivers for the decision, Evanko said, was Cigna’ inability to see a clear path forward within the size of the company’s ACA business. Also, the exit will allow Cigna to focus on specialty care services and its commercial health insurance market, he said.Cigna will support its ACA members through the transition into 2027, he said.The exit will affect 396,000 members with Cigna coverage, Forbes said.This year, Cigna offered ACA coverage in 11 states and in 357 counties, expanding to include an additional 20 new counties, the company said in 2025.December 2025 marked the end of the enhanced premium tax credits in the ACA market, which increased premium costs for plans. Many consumers switched from silver tiered plans to more affordable bronze plans.An estimated 14% of ACA members simply didn’t pay their premium in January. Sicker consumers kept their coverage, leading to a deterioration in the risk pool and questions for insurers over future ACA pricing."The general expectation is that these changes could dramatically shrink the size of the individual market," said a Wakely Consulting Group report. FINANCIALSThe Cigna Group's adjusted income from operations for first quarter 2026 was $2.1 billion, or $7.79 per share, compared with $1.8 billion, or $6.74 per share, for first quarter 2025.Shareholder net income was $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to $1.3 billion for Q1 2025.Total revenues for the first quarter increased 5% from 2025, to $68.5 billionprimarily driven by growth in Evernorth Health Services, which houses its pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts.Growth was partially offset by the impact of the HCSC transaction.In March 2025, Cigna completed the sale of its Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplemental Benefits, Medicare Part D and CareAllies businesses to Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC).The financials were better than Wall Street expectations. Topic: Accounting & Financial Management, Operations, Strategic Planning