If you are searching for a Cigna Medicare Advantage plan, the honest answer is that one no longer exists. Cigna sold the business, and as of January 1, 2026 the plans carry a different name on the card.
That is not a technicality buried in a filing. It is the first thing you need to know before comparing anything, because the plan you may have had for years is still there, still with the same plan number, just labeled HealthSpring. This page explains exactly who runs it now, then gives the real 2026 numbers from CMS’s own landscape file and HealthSpring’s published plan documents.
What Is Cigna Medicare Advantage
It was Medicare Part C sold by The Cigna Group, largely under the Cigna Healthcare and older Cigna HealthSpring names. It is now Medicare Part C sold by Health Care Service Corporation under the HealthSpring name.
The transaction is documented by both sides. The Cigna Group announced on March 19, 2025 that it had completed the sale of its Medicare Advantage, Cigna Supplemental Benefits, Medicare Part D, and CareAllies businesses to HCSC. HCSC’s own release the same day confirmed the close and said the deal brought it to 26.5 million people served, including 4.3 million Medicare members. Cigna continues to provide pharmacy benefit services to those Medicare members through Evernorth Health Services under a services agreement, which is why some drug-side paperwork may still carry an Evernorth or Express Scripts name.
HCSC sold the 2025 plan year under the Cigna Healthcare name, then announced on October 1, 2025 that the transition to the HealthSpring brand would formally occur on January 1, 2026, and that the HealthSpring name and logo would appear on 2026 plan materials, the website, and member ID cards.
CMS’s data confirms the switch is complete. In the CY2026 Medicare Advantage landscape file, the word Cigna does not appear once, not as a parent organization, not as a contract name, not as a plan name. The old plan lineup is still recognizable though: HealthSpring True Choice (PPO), HealthSpring Preferred (HMO), HealthSpring TotalCare (HMO D-SNP), HealthSpring Courage, HealthSpring Premier, and HealthSpring Achieve.
One thing that did not move: only the businesses named in the sale changed hands. Cigna’s other lines, including the Cigna dental plans and Cigna vision insurance we cover separately, were not part of the transaction.
How HealthSpring’s Plans Work
For the 2026 plan year, CMS lists 224 HealthSpring Medicare Advantage plan segments covering 580 counties. HealthSpring’s own October 2025 announcement said the 2026 lineup covers customers in 29 states and the District of Columbia, which matches the CMS file exactly.
The mix leans hard toward HMOs: 134 HMO, 39 HMO dual-eligible special needs plans, 38 PPO, 8 HMO chronic condition plans, and 5 HMO-POS. Of the 224 segments, 177 are individual plans and 47 are special needs plans.
Referrals are where HealthSpring is more generous than most. The 2026 Summary of Benefits for HealthSpring True Choice (PPO) H7849-153 states plainly that there are no referrals required and that your benefits travel with you to other HealthSpring PPO networks across the country. Notably, the Summary of Benefits for HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H4513-049-002 also says “No referrals required” on its cover, which is unusual for an HMO. Do not generalize from that to every plan, but do check, because it can save you a step.
Prior authorization still applies. Both documents state that prior authorization and referrals are required for certain services, and both mark individual benefit rows with a footnote flagging which ones. If a request is denied, the Medicare appeal process is your remedy, and it is worth understanding how prior authorization works before you need an expensive procedure.
Out-of-network coverage exists only on the PPOs, and it is expensive. The True Choice PPO pays 50% coinsurance for most out-of-network services against fixed copays in network, and carries a separate $12,000 combined in-and-out-of-network out-of-pocket limit on top of the $7,500 in-network limit. On the HMOs there is no routine out-of-network benefit at all, which makes balance billing a real risk if you wander outside.
What It Costs
Every figure below is 2026 plan year data. The ranges come from CMS’s CY2026 landscape file (last updated March 2, 2026). The two named plans come from HealthSpring’s own Summary of Benefits PDFs, and their premiums, out-of-pocket maximums, and drug deductibles match the CMS file exactly.
| 2026 cost item | HealthSpring range or figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan premium, individual plans | $0 to $50 | 155 of 177 plans (88%) are $0; median $0 |
| Monthly plan premium, special needs plans | $0 to $51 | 23 of 47 (49%) are $0 |
| Medicare Part B premium (you always pay this) | $202.90 | Standard 2026 rate, up from $185.00 in 2025 |
| Medicare Part B deductible | $283 | 2026 rate, up from $257 in 2025 |
| In-network out-of-pocket maximum | $2,000 to $9,250 | Median $5,750; only 3% of individual plans hit the $9,250 CMS ceiling |
| Part D drug deductible, individual plans | $0 to $615 | Median $250; 23 plans sit at the $615 legal maximum |
| HealthSpring True Choice (PPO) H7849-153, GA/MS/TN | $0 premium, $7,500 in-network cap | $0 primary care, $40 specialist, 50% coinsurance out of network, $115 ER, $40 urgent care |
| HealthSpring True Choice (PPO) H7849-153, deductibles | $400 medical, $250 drug | Medical deductible applies to a listed set of services; $0 drug deductible on tiers 1 and 2 |
| HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H4513-049-002, Tennessee | $0 premium, $4,900 in-network cap | $0 primary care, $15 specialist, $130 ER, $30 urgent care, no medical deductible |
| HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H4513-049-002, drug deductible | $200 | $0 on tiers 1 and 2, $200 on all other tiers |
A few things worth calling out.
The $0 premium is genuinely common here. At 88% of individual plans, HealthSpring is at the generous end of the market, but it is only the plan’s share. You still owe Medicare $202.90 a month for Part B in 2026 plus the $283 Part B deductible. Some plans give part of that back: HealthSpring’s October 2025 announcement says some plans include a rebate of the customer’s Part B premium.
Watch the medical deductible, not just the drug deductible. The True Choice PPO above charges $0 a month but applies a $400 Medicare Part A and B deductible to a long list of services including outpatient hospital, diagnostic tests, imaging, ambulance, and dialysis, in and out of network. The Preferred HMO has no medical deductible at all. Two $0-premium plans from the same carrier, and one starts costing you $400 sooner than the other.
Out-of-pocket ceilings are better than average. HealthSpring’s median in-network maximum is $5,750, and only 3% of its individual plans are at the $9,250 legal ceiling, which is much lower than most large carriers.
Star ratings are middling. Across the 177 individual plan segments, the average overall rating is 3.58 and half are rated 4.0 or better. That is above Wellcare and roughly level with Anthem, but below Kaiser Permanente at 4.38 and UnitedHealthcare at 3.99.
Check the drug deductible before the premium if you take brand-name medication. HealthSpring’s median is $250, but 23 plans charge the full $615. Our Medicare Part D cost page covers how the 2026 $2,100 out-of-pocket cap changes the arithmetic.
Who It’s Good For and Who Should Skip It
A good fit if you were already a Cigna Medicare member. Nothing about the rebrand requires you to move, and HCSC said at close that coverage continued unchanged.
A good fit if you want a $0 premium with a reasonable ceiling. 88% of individual plans are $0 and the median out-of-pocket cap is $5,750, a better combination than most competitors publish.
A good fit if you dislike referral gatekeeping. Both named plans above state that no referrals are required, including the HMO.
Think twice if star ratings drive your choice. HealthSpring’s individual plans average 3.58, and the parent company’s overall Medicare Advantage average is 3.45.
Think twice if your prescriptions are expensive. Nearly one in eight individual plans charges the $615 Part D maximum.
Think twice if you are shopping by brand recognition. The plans are now HealthSpring, a name most people have never heard, run by a company most people have never heard of. Judge the plan number, not the logo.
Cigna Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare Plus Medigap
| HealthSpring (formerly Cigna) Medicare Advantage | Original Medicare plus Medigap | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Health Care Service Corporation, since March 19, 2025 | Federal Medicare plus a private Medigap insurer |
| Monthly cost | $0 to $50 plan premium plus $202.90 Part B | $202.90 Part B plus a Medigap premium set by the insurer |
| Yearly out-of-pocket limit | Yes, $2,000 to $9,250 in network | No federal limit, but Medigap absorbs most cost sharing |
| Provider choice | Plan network, county service area, 29 states and DC | Any provider that accepts Medicare, nationwide |
| Out-of-network coverage | PPO plans only, typically 50% coinsurance | Not applicable, no network |
| Referral to a specialist | Not required on the plans reviewed here | Not required in most cases |
| Prior authorization | Required for certain services on every plan | Not required in most cases |
| Drug coverage | Built in on 213 of 224 plans | Separate Part D plan required |
| Can you buy Medigap? | No, not to cover Medicare Advantage out-of-pocket costs | Yes |
That last row is the decision nobody explains at enrollment. You can move into Medicare Advantage during any Medicare open enrollment period, but your guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy without medical underwriting is a six-month window that opens the first month you are both 65 and enrolled in Part B. Our Medicare Advantage versus Medigap page walks the trade, Medicare Advantage versus Original Medicare covers coverage differences, and Medigap cost shows what the alternative premium looks like.
The Bottom Line
If you came here looking for Cigna, you are in the right place but the name is wrong. The business is HCSC’s, the brand is HealthSpring, and the change was a corporate transaction rather than anything you did or failed to do. Your plan number is the thing that carried over, so search that.
On the merits, the 2026 lineup is solid on price and middling on quality: mostly $0 premiums, better than average out-of-pocket ceilings, no referral requirement on the plans reviewed here, and star ratings in the middle of the pack. The trap is the medical deductible, which varies from $0 to $400 between two plans that both advertise $0 a month.
One timing note. Everything above is 2026 plan year data. CMS said in its 2027 Part D bid fact sheet that it will release the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape in mid to late September 2026, and the annual enrollment period for 2027 runs October 15 to December 7, 2026. Compare against Humana, Aetna, and Devoted Health in your own county, and if money is tight, check whether you qualify for Medicare Savings Programs or Extra Help first, since those reduce the Part B premium you owe under any plan.