Cigna members can now tap into mental health services via Ginger app

On-demand from customers behavioral health and fitness platform Ginger is now readily available as a health and fitness reward for Cigna’s 14 million members, the firms announced right now.

Members with Cigna’s employer-sponsored or unique and spouse and children insurance coverage programs can now access Ginger’s behavioral health and fitness coaching, therapy and psychiatry services as an in-network reward.

“Cigna’s mission is to enhance the health and fitness, effectively-being and peace of intellect of individuals we provide by making health care straightforward, affordable and predictable,” Dr. Doug Nemecek, the main clinical officer for behavioral health and fitness at Cigna, mentioned in a statement.

“Right now, much more than at any time, people today are searching for out mental health and fitness help, and our romance with Ginger makes much more access to that treatment, when and exactly where shoppers require it.”

Interested members can download the Ginger app and present their insurance coverage details to get access to the total suite of services.

WHY THIS Issues

Demand for behavioral health care has been on the increase throughout the pandemic. In actuality, much more than forty% of U.S. grownups reported signs of stress and anxiety or depressive ailment, compared to just eleven% in the months prior to the outbreak, in accordance to a Kaiser Spouse and children Foundation study.

“We are dealing with a nationwide supply-demand from customers disaster in mental health care, with demand from customers achieving unprecedented stages, and fewer providers coming into the sector than at any time right before,” Russell Glass, CEO of Ginger, mentioned in a statement.

“We are proud to spouse with major organizations like Cigna that acknowledge not only the scope of the nation’s mental health and fitness disaster, but the significance of having a preventative strategy to this challenge. Jointly, we are opening up access to amazing mental health care for millions at a fraction of the expense of standard treatment.”

The Ginger platform features around-the-clock textual content-centered behavioral health and fitness coaching with a trained behavioral health and fitness professional. If essential, customers can escalate their treatment to involve virtual therapy or psychiatry, with at-dwelling prescription shipping and delivery readily available by means of Capsule.

It also includes an on the web library of skill-building sources on topics this kind of as mindfulness, associations and present-day occasions.

THE Much larger Craze

The two firms have been performing jointly for some time now, with Cigna Ventures investing in Ginger’s $fifty million raise previous year.

Much more not too long ago, Ginger scored $one hundred million in a Series E funding round with programs to make partnerships in the insurance coverage house.

This is also not Cigna’s to start with foray into electronic health and fitness. Previously this year, its health and fitness services subsidiary Evernorth obtained the telehealth provider MDLive.

Health and fitness plans’ curiosity in electronic behavioral health and fitness is developing and previous year UnitedHealth Group’s Optum procured AbleTo for approximately $470 million.