Cigna Group: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2018

Overview

Cigna Corporation, together with its subsidiaries (either individually or collectively referred to as "Cigna," the "Company," "we," "our" or "us") is a global health service organization.

Our revenues are derived principally from premiums on insured products, fees for products and services provided to self-insured plans, pharmacy sales, and investment income. In 2018, our revenues were $48.7 billion and shareholders' net income was $2.6 billion. As described more fully in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements on page 80 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K"), on March 8, 2018, we entered into a merger agreement with Express Scripts Holding Company ("Express Scripts"). The results of Express Scripts have been included in the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements from the date of acquisition. As of December 31, 2018, total assets were $153.2 billion and shareholders' equity was $41.0 billion.

Our combination with Express Scripts creates an enterprise uniquely capable of transforming health care. We now have broader and deeper capabilities, along with meaningful synergies, that accelerate our "Go" strategy to achieve our mission of improving the health, well-being and peace of mind of those we serve. Cigna's employees are champions of the people we serve and over the past decade, our focus has shifted to helping people thrive by offering solutions to prevent and better manage health challenges. When sickness or disability do occur, we support our customers' ability to have broad choices in how they best access high quality, affordable care. We maximize use of evidence-based care,

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Cigna offers a differentiated set of medical, pharmacy, behavioral, dental, disability, life and accident insurance and related products and services. By combining with Express Scripts, Cigna's expanded capabilities now include: 1) a broader portfolio of specialty services, some of which can be offered on a stand-alone basis; 2) integrated behavioral, medical and pharmacy management services; 3) leading specialty pharmacy expertise; and 4) advanced analytics that help us engage more meaningfully with individuals, plan sponsors we serve, and our provider partners. These capabilities accelerate Cigna's ability to drive improved cost affordability, quality of care and predictability.

Following entry into the merger agreement and throughout the pendency of the transaction, Cigna and Express Scripts designed integration plans to implement a new management and business reporting structure for the combined company upon closing. On December 20, 2018, Cigna completed the acquisition of Express Scripts. As a result, effective in the fourth quarter of 2018 our segments have changed to the following: 1) Integrated Medical, consisting of both a Commercial operating segment that includes our employer-sponsored medical coverage and a Government operating segment that includes Medicare offerings for seniors and individual insurance offerings to non-seniors both on and off the public health insurance exchanges; 2) Health Services, consisting primarily of Cigna's legacy home delivery pharmacy business and Express Scripts' pharmacy benefit management ("PBM") business beginning December 21, 2018; and 3) International Markets, that offers global supplemental benefits and global medical solutions. The remainder of our business is reported in Group Disability and Other, consisting of our group disability and life business together with our corporate owned life insurance ("COLI") business and run-off operations. See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements on page 72 of this Form 10-K for additional description of our segments. Among our segments, Cigna has four core growth platforms: Commercial, Government, Health Services and International Markets.

As individuals become increasingly involved in their health care purchasing decisions, Cigna continues to focus on delivering affordable and personalized products and services to customers through employer-based, government-sponsored, health plan client and individual coverage arrangements. In our Integrated Medical business, we collaborate with health care providers to accelerate the transition from volume-based, fee-for-service reimbursement arrangements to a value-based reimbursement model that delivers higher quality of care, lower costs and better health outcomes. We have worked toward achieving better health, affordability, localization and an improved patient experience through increased collaborative care and delivery arrangements with health care providers across the care delivery spectrum, including physician groups of all sizes, specialist groups and hospitals. We have also developed innovative tools and flexible provider arrangements that provide a truly personalized customer experience. These arrangements and tools are discussed in more detail in the "Integrated Medical" section of this Form 10-K that begins on page 3.

Our Health Services business puts medicine within reach for patients, and helps providers improve access to prescription drugs by making them more affordable. We improve patient outcomes and better manage the cost of the pharmacy benefit by:

Delivering the best care available for those taking prescription medicines;

Assessing drugs based on efficacy, value and price to assist clients in selecting the most cost-effective formulary;

Offering cost-effective home delivery pharmacy and specialty services that result in cost savings for plan sponsors and better care for customers;

Leveraging purchasing volume to deliver discounts to employers and other groups, resulting in leading prescription drug cost trend; and

Promoting the use of generic and lower-cost brands.

We also work with key stakeholders across the health care system to improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction, increase efficiency in drug distribution and manage costs of the pharmacy benefit. We believe plan sponsors and participants can achieve the best health and financial outcomes when they use our comprehensive set of solutions to manage drug spend.

The ACA and Health Care Reform

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively referred to throughout this Form 10-K as the "ACA" or "PPACA") continues to have a significant impact on our business operations. The future of the ACA is uncertain due to recent court decisions, congressional efforts to repeal and replace the ACA, various executive actions of the current administration, and repeal of the individual mandate as part of H.R.1, An Act to Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to Titles II and V of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2018 (referred to throughout this Form 10-K as the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" or "U.S. tax reform legislation"). The effects of the ACA, and efforts to repeal and replace it, are discussed throughout this Form 10-K where appropriate, including in the Integrated Medical business description, Regulation, Risk Factors, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A"), and the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Other Information

The financial information included in this Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 is in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") unless otherwise indicated. In the segment discussions that follow, we use the terms "adjusted revenues" and "pre-tax adjusted income from operations" to describe segment results. See the introduction to the MD&A on page 42 of this Form 10-K for definitions of those terms. Industry rankings and percentages set forth herein are for the year ended December 31, 2018 unless otherwise indicated. In addition, statements set forth in this document concerning our rank or position in an industry or particular line of business have been developed internally based on publicly available information unless otherwise noted.

Cigna Holding Company (formerly Cigna Corporation) was incorporated in Delaware in 1981. Halfmoon Parent, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in March 2018. Halfmoon Parent, Inc. was renamed Cigna Corporation concurrently with the consummation of the combination with Express Scripts. Our annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other filings, and any amendments to these filings, are made available free of charge on our website (http://www.cigna.com, under the "Investors – Quarterly Reports and SEC Filings" captions) as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file these materials with, or furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). We use our website as a channel of distribution for material company information. Important information, including news releases, analyst presentations and financial information regarding Cigna is routinely posted on and accessible at http://www.cigna.com. See "Code of Ethics and Other Corporate Governance Disclosures" in Part III, Item 10 beginning on page 131 of this Form 10-K for additional information available on our website.

Integrated Medical

Integrated Medical consists of a Commercial operating segment that includes our employer-sponsored medical coverage and a Government operating segment that includes Medicare offerings for seniors and individual insurance offerings to non-seniors both on and off the public health insurance exchanges. In 2018, Integrated Medical reported adjusted revenues of $32.8 billion and pre-tax adjusted income from operations of $3.5 billion.

We differentiate ourselves by providing innovative, personalized, and affordable health care benefit solutions based on the unique needs of the individuals and clients we serve. We increase value through our integrated approach and use of technology and data analytics to enhance patient engagement and health care outcomes, underscoring our strategic focus on delivering an industry-leading customer experience. We continue to strengthen our partnerships with providers as we accelerate our transition to a value-based reimbursement system.

We offer a mix of core health insurance products and services to employers, other groups and individuals along with specialty products and services designed to improve the quality of care, lower cost and help customers achieve better health outcomes. Many of these products are available on a standalone basis, but we believe they are most valuable when integrated with a Cigna-administered health plan. Our products are available through several distribution channels including brokers, direct sales, and public and private exchanges. Our three funding solutions (i.e., insured – experience-rated, insured – guaranteed cost, and administrative services only ("ASO") arrangements) enable us to customize the amount of risk taken by, and lower costs for, our customers and clients.

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The following chart depicts a high level summary of our principal products and services in this segment as of year-end, with definitions on subsequent pages.

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Principal Products & Services

Commercial Medical

Managed Care Plans These plans are offered through our insurance companies, HMOs and TPA companies. HMO, Network Open Access and Open Access Plus plans use meaningful cost-sharing incentives to encourage the use of "in-network" versus "out-of-network" health care providers. The national provider network for Managed Care Plans is somewhat smaller than the national network used with the preferred provider ("PPO") plan product line.

PPO Plans feature a network with broader provider access than the Managed Care Plans.

Consumer-Driven Products are typically paired with a high-deductible medical plan and offer customers a tax-advantaged way to pay for eligible health care expenses. These products, consisting of health savings accounts ("HSAs"), health reimbursement accounts ("HRAs") and flexible spending accounts ("FSAs"), encourage customers to play an active role in managing their health and health care costs. When integrated with a Cigna medical plan, we can deliver a seamless experience for our customers and clients. More than three million customers have one of these integrated product solutions.

Government Medical

Individual and Family Plans feature an insurance policy coupled with a network of health care providers in a geographic area who have been selected with cost and quality in mind.

Medicare Advantage Plans allow Medicare-eligible beneficiaries to receive health care benefits, including prescription drugs, through a managed care health plan such as our coordinated care plans. Our Medicare Advantage Plans are primarily HMO plans marketed to individuals. A significant portion of our Medicare Advantage customers receive medical care from our value-based models that focus on developing highly engaged physician networks, aligning payment incentives to improved health outcomes and using timely and transparent data sharing.

Medicare Part D Plans provide a number of plan options, as well as service and information support, to Medicare and Medicaid eligible customers. Our plans offer the savings of Medicare combined with the flexibility to provide enhanced benefits and a drug list tailored to individuals' specific needs. Eligible beneficiaries benefit from broad network access and value-added services intended to promote wellness and affordability for our eligible beneficiaries.

Medicaid Plans provide our low-income customers with the benefit of many of the coordinated care aspects of our Medicare Advantage programs. For customers eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid ("dual eligible") we receive revenue from both the state and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS").

Medicare Supplement Plans provide Medicare-eligible beneficiaries with federally standardized Medigap-style plans. Beneficiaries may select among the various plans with specific plan options to meet their unique needs and may visit, without the need for a referral, any health care professional or facility that accepts Medicare throughout the United States.

Specialty Solutions

Stop-Loss insurance coverage is offered to self-insured clients whose group health plans are administered by Cigna. Stop-loss insurance provides reimbursement for claims in excess of a predetermined amount for individuals, the entire group, or both.

Cost-Containment Programs are designed to contain the cost of covered health care services and supplies. These programs reduce out-of-network utilization and costs, protect members from balance billing, and educate customers regarding the availability of lower cost in-network services. In addition, under these programs, we negotiate discounts with out-of-network providers, review provider bills and recover overpayments. We charge fees for providing or arranging for these services. These programs may be administered by third-party vendors that have contracted with Cigna.

Consumer Health Engagement services are offered to customers covered under plans administered by Cigna or by third-party administrators. These services consist of an array of medical management, disease management and wellness services. Our Medical Management programs include case, specialty and utilization management and a 24-hour nurse information line. Our Health Advocacy program services include early intervention in the treatment of chronic conditions and an array of health and wellness coaching. Additionally, we administer incentives programs designed to encourage customers to engage in health improvement activities.

Pharmacy Management services and benefits can be combined with our medical offerings. The comprehensive suite of pharmacy management services available to clients and customers includes benefits management, specialty pharmacy services, clinical solutions, home delivery, and certain medical management services. Cigna's home delivery pharmacy operation along with the Express Scripts PBM, are reported in the Health Services segment and described further there.

Behavioral Health services are offered to employers, government entities and other groups sponsoring health benefit plans. These services consist of behavioral health care case management, employee assistance programs ("EAP"), and work/life programs. We focus on integrating our programs and services with medical, pharmacy and disability programs to facilitate customized, holistic care.

Dental solutions include dental health maintenance organization plans ("Dental HMO"), dental preferred provider organization ("Dental PPO") plans, exclusive dental provider organization plans, traditional dental indemnity plans and a dental discount program. Employers and other groups can purchase our products on either an insured or self-insured basis as standalone products or in conjunction with medical products. Additionally, individual customers can purchase insured Dental PPO plans as standalone products or in conjunction with individual medical policies.

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Vision offerings include flexible, cost-effective PPO coverage that includes a range of both in and out-of-network benefits for routine vision services offered in conjunction with our medical and dental product offerings. Our national vision care network includes private practice ophthalmologist and optometrist offices, as well as retail eye care centers.

Funding Solutions

ASO. Plan sponsors (i.e., employers, unions and other groups) self-fund all claims, but may purchase stop-loss insurance to limit exposure. We collect fees from plan sponsors for providing access to our participating provider network and for other services and programs including: claims administration; behavioral health services; disease management; utilization management; cost containment; dental; and pharmacy benefit management. Approximately 86% of our commercial medical customers are in ASO arrangements.

Experience-Rated Insurance. Premium rates are established at the beginning of a policy period and are typically based on prior claim experience of the policyholder. When claims and expenses are less than the premium charged (an "experience surplus" or "margin"), the policyholder may be credited for a portion of this experience surplus or margin. If claims and expenses exceed the premium charged (an "experience deficit"), we bear these costs. In certain cases, experience deficits incurred while the policy is in effect are accumulated and may be recovered through future policy year experience surpluses or margins. Approximately 6% of commercial medical customers are in experience-rated arrangements.

Guaranteed Cost Insurance. Premium rates are established at the beginning of a policy period and, depending on group size, may be based in whole or in part on prior experience of the policyholder or on a pool of similar policyholders. We generally cannot subsequently adjust premiums to reflect actual claim experience until the next annual renewal. The policyholder does not participate, or share in, actual claim experience. We keep any experience surplus or margin if costs are less than the premium charged (subject to minimum medical loss ratio rebate requirements discussed below) and bear the risk for actual costs in excess of the premium charged. Approximately 8% of commercial medical customers are in guaranteed cost arrangements.

In most states, individual and group insurance premium rates must be approved by the applicable state regulatory agency (typically department of insurance) and state or federal laws may restrict or limit the use of rating methods. Premium rates for groups and individuals are subject to state review to determine whether they are adequate, not excessive and not unfairly discriminatory. In addition, the ACA subjects individual and small group policy rate increases above an identified threshold to review by the United States Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") and requires payment of premium refunds on individual and group medical insurance products if minimum medical loss ratio ("MLR") requirements are not met. The MLR represents the percentage of premiums used to pay medical claims and expenses for activities that improve the quality of care. In our individual business, premiums may also be adjusted as a result of the government risk adjustment program that accounts for the relative health status of our customers. See the "Regulation" section of this Form 10-K for additional information about commercial MLR requirements and risk mitigation programs of the ACA.

Market Segments

Commercial comprises employers from the National, Middle Market and Select market segments.

National. Multi-state employers with 5,000 or more U.S.-based, full-time employees. We offer primarily ASO funding solutions in this market segment.

Middle Market. Employers generally with 500 to 4,999 U.S.-based, full-time employees. This segment also includes single-site employers with more than 5,000 employees and Taft-Hartley plans and other groups. We offer ASO, experience-rated and guaranteed cost insured funding solutions in this market segment.

Select. Employers generally with 51-499 eligible employees. We usually offer ASO with stop loss insurance coverage and guaranteed cost insured funding solutions in this market segment.

Individual. Consistent with the regulations for Individual ACA compliant plans, we offer these plans only on a guaranteed cost basis in this market segment.

Government includes individuals who are Medicare-eligible beneficiaries, as well as employer group sponsored pre- and post-65 retirees. We also have dual-eligible members who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

Primary Distribution Channels

Brokers. Sales representatives distribute our products and services to a broad group of insurance brokers and consultants across the United States.

Direct. Cigna sales representatives distribute our products and services directly to employers, unions and other groups or individuals across the United States. Various products may also be sold directly to insurance companies, HMOs and third-party administrators. This may take the form of in-person contact, telephonic or group selling venues.

Private Exchanges. We partner with select companies that have created private exchanges where individuals and organizations can acquire health insurance. We actively evaluate private exchange participation opportunities as they emerge in the market, and target our participation to those models that best align with our mission and value proposition.

Public Exchanges. Many states have set up public health insurance exchanges for ACA compliant plans on which Cigna may offer individual policies.

Competition

The primary competitive factors affecting our business are quality and cost-effectiveness of service and provider networks; effectiveness of medical care management; products that meet the needs of employers and their employees; total cost management; technology; and effectiveness of marketing and sales. Financial strength, as indicated by ratings issued by nationally recognized rating agencies, is also a competitive factor. Our health advocacy capabilities, holistic approach to consumer engagement, breadth of product offerings, clinical care and medical management capabilities and array of product funding options are competitive advantages. We believe our focus on improving the health, well-being and peace of mind of the customers we serve will allow us to further differentiate ourselves from our competitors.

National Insurers. UnitedHealth Group, Aetna (owned by CVS Health), Anthem and Humana compete with us in a variety of products and regions throughout the United States.

Local Healthplans. Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, local affiliates of major insurance companies and hospitals, and regional stand-alone managed care and specialty companies compete with us in the states in which we offer managed care products. Additionally, plan sponsors may contract directly with providers.

TPAs. Third-party administrators compete with us for ASO business.

Start-ups. Recent market entrants Oscar, Bright Health and other health plans seek to disrupt competition primarily in the individual market, in part through technology. Alternative health service models, including consortiums, search for a new approach to obtaining health services.

Dental Insurers. Various companies offering primarily dental insurance compete with us on these products.

Specialty Companies. Specialty insurance or service companies that offer niche products and services compete with us.

Delivering the Health Care Promise

Cigna's Connected Care strategy engages customers in their health, collaborates with providers to help them improve their performance, and connects customers and providers through aligned health goals, incentives and actionable information to enable better decisions and outcomes. Cigna is committed to developing innovative solutions that span the health care delivery system and can be applied to different types of providers. Currently we have numerous collaborative arrangements with our participating health care providers that reach over 3.6 million customers and are actively developing new arrangements to support our Connected Care strategy.

Accountable Care Program. We have over 240 collaborative care arrangements with primary care groups built on the patient-centered medical home and accountable care organization ("ACO") models. Our arrangements span more than 32 states and reach over 2.7 million customers. We are committed to increasing the number of groups over the next several years, with a goal of reaching 280 programs by the end of 2020.

Hospital Quality Program. We have contracts with over 500 hospitals with reimbursements tied to quality metrics. We expect to grow this number to over 600 hospitals by the end of 2020.

Specialist Programs. We have approximately 250 arrangements with specialist groups in value-based reimbursement arrangements. Our goal is to reach approximately 380 arrangements by the end of 2020. Programs include arrangements with several types of specialist groups around the country including orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, gastroenterology, oncology, nephrology and neurology. Arrangements include care coordination and episodes of care reimbursements for meeting cost and quality goals.

Independent Practice Associations. We have value-based physician engagement models in our Cigna-HealthSpring business that allow physician groups to share financial outcomes with us. The Cigna-HealthSpring clinical model also includes outreach to new and at-risk patients to ensure they are accessing their primary care physician.

Participating Provider Network. We provide our customers with an extensive network of participating health care professionals, hospitals and other facilities, pharmacies and providers of health care services and supplies. In most instances, we contract with them directly; however, in some instances, we contract with third parties for access to their provider networks and care management services. In addition, we have entered into strategic alliances with several regional managed care organizations (e.g., Tufts Health Plan, HealthPartners, Inc., Health Alliance Plan and MVP Health Plan) to gain access to their provider networks and discounts.

Technology

Cigna Information Technology supports our Go Deeper, Go Local, Go Beyond strategy by focusing first and foremost on strong foundational technology services, delivery of a business aligned technology project portfolio and prioritized strategic innovation that creates solutions that differentiate us in the market. Our technology innovation continues to focus on three strategic areas: insights and analytics; digital health; and care delivery and management. Our technology strategy ultimately improves the customer experience, increases engagement and advances population health using data driven insights, utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide key areas of competitive advantage. Innovation is core to the way we do business and will be a critical factor to our success in the highly dynamic health care industry. Cigna's innovative technology solutions continue to improve affordability and increase personalization: for example the Cigna One Guide® program combines a state-of-the-art digital experience with a human concierge service, and the Cigna SureFit® network allows individual family members to choose their personal care networks consistent with their health needs and provider preferences.

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Our business strategy is based upon providing customers with differentiated, easy-to-use, seamless and secure products and solutions that utilize insights from advanced analytics to meet their expectations. We anticipate needs and meet customers where they are, from predicting and preventing chronic diseases, to mining data to reduce payment and claims fraud, to using the data from wearable devices to optimize population health status. In 2018, Cigna advanced its strategic technology leadership position by expanding our digital portfolio with the integration of the Brighter acquisition. Brighter's digital platform for connecting patients with a dental provider, allowing them to review their experience, gain insights to costs and see a dentist's history demonstrates the leadership in the digital engagement of health care customers. We also began the roadmap of leveraging Express Scripts technology value creators. Each of these companies contributes to our business model and strengthens the Cigna portfolio. Further, Cigna will apply the Express Scripts technology toolkit to advance the 360 degree view of the patient through flexible, open and connected solutions. With the combined strengths and capabilities of Cigna and Express Scripts, we see greater opportunities to create novel, highly-tailored customer insights as we mine data and use sophisticated artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to build better models that help us find solutions to complex questions and improve health care outcomes. We will continue to develop leading data driven solutions such as applying propriety algorithms and machine learning to predict customers that could overdose on prescription opioids.

Data Analytics

Cigna has transformed substantial investments in analytics talent, data infrastructure and machine learning capabilities over the past several years into a closed-loop, self-learning insights system that guides our decision-making and allows us to execute on our strategy. Our "Insights That Matter" analytics process helps our business leaders identify the questions that matter most to our customers and partners while our data science experts focus on answering those questions with innovative methodologies and transform our insights into targeted business actions. We apply advanced analytics across our business and will continue to invest in expanding and strengthening our capabilities to better anticipate, meet and exceed our customers' and partners' expectations.

Health Services

This segment consists of the Express Scripts PBM business beginning December 21, 2018 as well as Cigna's legacy home delivery operations that offer high quality, efficient, and cost-effective mail order, telephone, and on-line pharmaceutical fulfillment services. In 2018, Health Services reported adjusted revenues of $6.6 billion and pre-tax adjusted income from operations of $380 million, including 11 days of Express Scripts results.

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The following chart depicts a high level summary of our principal products and services in this segment with definitions on subsequent pages.

Principal Products & Services

Pharmacy Benefit Management Services. Our PBM services drive high quality, cost-effective pharmaceutical care through prescription drug utilization and cost management. We consult with clients to assist in selecting plan design features that balance their requirements for cost control with customer choice and convenience. We focus our solutions to enable better decisions in four important, interrelated areas: benefit choices, drug choices, pharmacy choices and health choices. As a result, we believe we deliver better outcomes, higher customer satisfaction and a more affordable prescription drug benefit. As of December 31, 2018, we operated four high-volume automated dispensing home delivery pharmacies, five non-dispensing prescription processing centers, five customer contact centers, seven specialty home delivery pharmacies, 20 specialty branch pharmacies and eight specialty nursing offices.

Clinical Solutions. We offer innovative clinical programs to drive better health outcomes at a lower cost by identifying and addressing unsafe, ineffective and wasteful prescribing; dispensing and utilization of prescription drugs; and intervening with, or supporting interventions with, physicians, pharmacies and customers.

RationalMed® evaluates medical, pharmacy and laboratory data to detect critical customer health and safety risks that are addressed through timely notice to physicians, pharmacies, customers and case managers.

ScreenRx® uses proprietary predictive models to detect customers at risk for nonadherence and proactively address the problem through customized interventions for each individual customer.

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ExpressAlliance® offers customer care coordination services that enable customer-authorized health care professionals to share a common view of a customer's health record and coordinate customer outreach and counseling.

Advanced Opioid ManagementSM works comprehensively with customers, prescribers and pharmacies to minimize early exposure to opioids while helping prevent progression to overuse and abuse.

Other solutions include Total Performance Management, Concurrent Drug Utilization Review, Advanced Utilization Management, Medication Therapy Management, Digital Report Monitoring and Fraud, Waste and Abuse.

Express Scripts SafeGuardRx®. We are the industry leader in offering a suite of solutions aimed at therapy classes that pose significant budgetary threats and clinical challenges to patients. Our solutions are designed to keep our clients ahead of the cost curve while providing customers the personalized care and access they need. These solutions are offered throughout our PBM services and include, but are not limited to: Pulmonary Care Value ProgramSM; Multiple Sclerosis Care Value ProgramSM; Inflammatory Conditions Care Value ProgramSM; Diabetes Care Value ProgramSM; Hepatitis Cure Value Program®; Cholesterol Care Value Program®; Oncology Care Value Program®; Market Events Protection Program®; and Inflation Protection ProgramSM. Innovative programs, such as Express Scripts SafeGuardRx, combine utilization management controls with formulary management, the specialized care model of our Therapeutic Resource Center® program (described below) and comprehensive guarantees, and help us to change the market in key specialty categories. Notably, our programs covering oncology and inflammatory conditions have introduced a value-based contracting approach, with payments now tied to a product's effectiveness.

Specialized Pharmacy Care. At the center of Express Scripts' condition-specific approach to care are Therapeutic Resource Center services, which are pharmacy practices specializing in caring for customers with the most complex and costly chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV, asthma, depression and other rare and specialty conditions. Our Therapeutic Resource Center services are designed to optimize the safe and appropriate dispensing of therapeutic agents, minimize waste, and improve clinical and financial outcomes. Through our Therapeutic Resource Center services, specialist pharmacists provide the expert, personalized care that customers increasingly demand.

Home Delivery Pharmacy Services. In addition to the order processing that occurs at these home delivery pharmacies, we operate several non-dispensing prescription processing facilities and customer contact centers. Our pharmacies provide greater safety and accuracy than retail pharmacies, convenient access to maintenance medications, and better management of our clients' drug costs through operating efficiencies. We are directly involved with the prescriber and customer through our home delivery pharmacies, and our research shows that we achieve a higher level of generic substitutions, therapeutic interventions and better adherence than is achieved through retail pharmacy networks.

Specialty Pharmacy Services. Specialty medications are used primarily for the treatment of complex diseases. These medications are broadly characterized to include those with frequent dosing adjustments, intensive clinical monitoring, the need for customer training, specialized product administration requirements and/or medications limited to certain specialty pharmacy networks by manufacturers. Through a combination of assets and capabilities, we provide an enhanced level of personalized care and therapy management for customers taking specialty medications, increased visibility and improved outcomes for payors, as well as custom programs for biopharmaceutical manufacturers.

Accredo Health Group ("Accredo") is focused on dispensing injectable, infused, oral or inhaled drugs that require a higher level of clinical service and support than traditional pharmacies typically offer.

Accredo achieves better outcomes for customers and reduces waste for clients through specialty trained clinicians, a nationwide footprint, a network of in-home nursing services, reimbursement and customer assistance programs, and biopharmaceutical services.

Our subsidiary Freedom Fertility is a leading specialty pharmacy focused on the needs of fertility customers and providers. Through Freedom Fertility, we provide insurance assistance, customer education, and support.

Our subsidiary Care Continuum provides medical benefit drug management services that enable greater oversight of our clients' specialty spend billed through the medical benefit designed to ultimately make specialty drugs more affordable and accessible.

Retail Network Pharmacy Administration. We contract with retail pharmacies to provide prescription drugs to customers of the pharmacy benefit plans we manage. In the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, we negotiate with pharmacies to discount drug prices provided to customers and manage national and regional networks responsive to client preferences related to cost containment, convenience of access for customers and network performance. We also manage networks of pharmacies customized for or under direct contract with specific clients and have contracted with pharmacy provider networks to comply with CMS access requirements for the federal Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program ("Medicare Part D"). All retail pharmacies in our network communicate with us online and in real-time to process prescription drug claims. When a plan member presents their identification card at a network pharmacy, the network pharmacist sends specific member, prescriber and prescription information in an industry-standard format through our systems, which process the claim and respond to the pharmacy with relevant information to process the prescription.

Benefit Design Consultation. We consult with our clients on how best to structure and leverage the pharmacy benefit to meet plan objectives for affordable access to the prescription medications people need to stay healthy, and ensure the safe and effective use of those medications.

Drug Utilization Review. When prescriptions are presented to our pharmacies or submitted for coverage, we review them electronically and systematically in real-time for safety and effectiveness. We then alert the dispensing pharmacy to detected issues. Issues not adequately addressed at the time of dispensing may also be communicated to the prescriber retrospectively.

Drug Formulary Management. Formularies are lists of drugs with designations that may be used to determine drug coverage, customer out-of-pocket costs, and communicate plan preferences in competitive drug categories. Our formulary management services support clients in establishing formularies that assist customers and physicians in choosing clinically appropriate, cost-effective drugs and prioritize access, safety and affordability. We administer specific formularies on behalf of our clients, including standard formularies developed and offered by Express Scripts and custom formularies in which we play a more limited role. Most of our clients select standard formularies, governed by our National Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee (the "P&T Committee") that comprises a panel of independent physicians and pharmacists in active clinical practice representing a variety of specialties and practice settings, typically with major academic affiliations. In making formulary recommendations, the P&T Committee considers only the drug's safety and efficacy and not the cost of the drug, including any negotiated manufacturer discount or rebate arrangement. This process is designed to ensure the clinical recommendation is not affected by our financial arrangements. We fully comply with the P&T Committee's clinical recommendations regarding drugs that must be included or excluded from the formulary based on their assessment of safety and efficacy.

Drug Claim Adjudication. We process drug claims for home delivery or retail networks through integration of retail network pharmacy administration, benefit design consultation, drug utilization review, drug formulary management and pharmacy fulfillment services. We administer payments to retail networks and bill benefits costs to our clients through our end-to-end adjudication services.

Inside Rx. The Inside Rx program delivers broad and affordable access to medication for the uninsured and those navigating the changing health care landscape. Inside Rx partners with participating retail pharmacies and major pharmaceutical companies to provide discounts, via a discount card for customers who would otherwise pay full list price for prescription medications. This program works collaboratively across the pharmacy supply chain with a shared focus to ensure customers have affordable access to medication they need. Inside Rx also provides access to pet prescriptions via our home delivery pharmacy services.

Administration of a Group Purchasing Organization. We operate a group purchasing organization ("GPO") that negotiates pricing for the purchase of pharmaceuticals from pharmaceutical manufacturers and suppliers. We also provide various administrative services to GPO participants including negotiation and management of the GPO purchasing contracts. Express Scripts' GPO is a member of the GPO of Walgreens Boots Alliance Development GmbH.

Digital Consumer Health and Drug Information. We empower customer decision-making through online and mobile tools that help customers make informed drug, pharmacy and health choices. Information included on our website and mobile application are not part of this annual report.

Provider Services. CuraScript Specialty Distribution ("CSD") is a specialty distributor of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies (including injectable and infusible pharmaceuticals and medications to treat specialty and rare or orphan diseases) directly to health care providers, clinics and hospitals in the United States for office or clinic administration. Through our CSD business, we provide distribution services primarily to office and clinic-based physicians who treat customers with chronic diseases and regularly order costly specialty pharmaceuticals. CSD provides competitive pricing on pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, operates three distribution centers, and ships most products overnight within the United States; CSD also provides distribution capabilities to Puerto Rico and Guam. CSD is a contracted supplier with most major group purchasing organizations and leverages our distribution platform to operate as a third-party logistics provider for several pharmaceutical companies.

Medical Benefit Management Services. eviCore is a leading provider of integrated medical benefit management solutions that focus on driving adherence to evidence-based guidelines, improving the quality of customer outcomes and reducing the cost of care for our clients. eviCore manages medical benefits in categories including radiology, cardiology, musculoskeletal disorders, sleep disorders, post-acute care, genetic lab, specialty pharmacy and medical oncology. eviCore contracts with health plans and other commercial and governmental payors to promote the appropriate use of health care services and contracts. In certain instances, this occurs through capitated risk arrangements, where we assume the financial obligation for the cost of health care services provided to eligible customers covered by eviCore's health care management programs.

Customers

Clients. We provide services to managed care organizations, health insurers, third-party administrators, employers, union-sponsored benefit plans, workers' compensation plans, government health programs, providers, clinics, hospitals and others.

Customers. Prescription drugs are dispensed to customers of the clients we serve primarily through networks of retail pharmacies under non-exclusive contracts with us and through our home delivery fulfillment pharmacies, specialty drug fulfillment pharmacies and fertility fulfillment pharmacies.

Our key customers include the United States Department of Defense ("DoD") and Anthem. The DoD's TRICARE Pharmacy Program is the military health care program serving active-duty service customers, National Guard and Reserve customers, and retirees, as well as their dependents. Under our DoD contract, we provide online claims adjudication, home delivery services, specialty pharmacy clinical services, claims processing and contact center support and other services critical to managing pharmacy trend.

On January 30, 2019, Anthem exercised its right to early terminate their pharmacy benefit management services agreement with us, effective March 1, 2019. There is a twelve-month transition period ending March 1, 2020. It is expected that the transition of Anthem's customers will occur at various dates, as informed by Anthem's technology platform migration schedule. Over the next twelve months, we will focus on an effective transition of this relationship and related services over Anthem's accelerated timeline. For further discussion of our Anthem relationship, see the "Executive Summary — Key Transactions and Developments" section of our MD&A located in Part II, Item 7 of the Form 10-K.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 11

Competition

The health care industry has undergone periods of substantial consolidation and may continue to consolidate in the future. We believe the primary competitive factors in the industry include the ability to: negotiate with retail pharmacies to ensure our home delivery pharmacy and retail pharmacy networks meet the needs of our clients and customers; negotiate discounts and rebates on prescription drugs with drug manufacturers; navigate the complexities of government-reimbursed business including Medicare, Medicaid and the Public Exchanges; manage cost and quality of specialty drugs; use the information we obtain about drug utilization patterns and consumer behavior to reduce costs for our clients and customers; and the level of service we provide.

Independent PBMs. MedImpact and Navitus Health Solutions compete with us on a variety of products and in various regions throughout the United States.

Managed Care PBMs. Aetna Inc. (owned by CVS Health Corporation), Humana, OptumRx (owned by UnitedHealth Group) and Prime Therapeutics (owned by a collection of Blue Cross / Blue Shield Plans) compete with us on a variety of products and in various regions throughout the United States.

Retail Pharmacies. CVS Caremark (owned by CVS Health) and Envision Rx (owned by Rite Aid). Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. engages in certain activities competitive with PBMs.

Third-Party Benefits Administrators. Third parties that specialize in claim adjudication and benefit administration, such as Argus, are direct competitors. With the emergence of alternative benefit models through Private Exchanges, the competitive landscape also includes brokers, health plans and consultants. Some of these competitors may have greater financial, marketing and technological resources than we do and new market entrants, including strategic alliances aimed at modifying the current health care delivery models or entering the prescription drug sector from another sector of the health care industry, may increase competitiveness as barriers to entry are relatively low.

Clinical Solutions and Health Care Data Analytics Companies. Optum (owned by UnitedHealth Group), Anthem, Inc., Magellan Health, HealthHelp, Cotiviti, and Inovalon are among the companies that compete with us in this market.

Quality

Sales and Account Management. Our sales and account management teams market and sell PBM solutions and are supported by client service representatives, clinical pharmacy managers and benefit analysis consultants. These teams work with clients to develop innovative strategies that put medicine within reach of customers while helping health benefit providers improve access to and affordability of prescription drugs.

Supply Chain. Our supply chain contracting and strategy teams negotiate and manage pharmacy network contracts, pharmaceutical and wholesaler purchasing contracts, and manufacturer rebate contracts. As our clients continue to experience increased cost trends, our supply chain teams develop innovative solutions such as Express Scripts SafeGuardRx and narrow networks to combat these price increases. In addition, our Formulary Consulting team, consisting of pharmacists and financial analysts, provides services to our clients to support formulary decisions, benefit design consultation and utilization management programs.

Clinical Support. Our staff of highly trained health care professionals provides clinical support for our PBM and medical benefit management services, including more specialized care for customers with select chronic and complex conditions. We operate condition-specific Therapeutic Resource Center facilities staffed with specialist pharmacists, nurses and other clinicians who provide personal and specialized customer care. Our clinical solutions staff of pharmacists and physicians provides clinical development and operational support for our PBM services. These health care professionals conduct a wide range of activities including identifying emerging medication-related safety issues and alerting physicians, clients, and customers (as appropriate); providing drug information services; managing formulary; and developing utilization management, safety (drug utilization review) and other clinical interventions.

Research and Analytics. Our research and analytics team conducts timely, rigorous and objective research that supports evidence-based pharmacy benefit management and evaluates the clinical, economic and individual impact of pharmacy benefits. They also use predictive modeling, machine learning and other analytical tools to develop and improve our products and services. The team also produces the Express Scripts Drug Trend Report, which examines trends in pharmaceutical utilization and cost, the factors triggering those trends and new solutions our clients can implement to control their pharmacy spend while improving the health of their customers.

Technology

Our technology team supports the various management information systems essential to our operations including the pharmacy and medical benefit claims processing systems and specialty pharmacy systems, while seeking opportunities to optimize our technology solutions by consolidating and upgrading our technology platforms.

Uninterrupted point-of-sale electronic retail pharmacy claims processing is a significant operational requirement for our business. Claims in the United States are processed through systems managed and operated domestically by internal resources and an outsourced vendor. We believe we have substantial capacity for growth in our United States claims processing facilities.

We leverage outsourced vendor services to provide certain disaster recovery services for systems located at our data centers. For systems not covered by a third-party vendor arrangement, such as our specialty pharmacy data centers, our corporate disaster recovery organization manages internal recovery services.

Express Scripts is proud of its commitment to innovation in the field of health care. Express Scripts innovations improve patient outcomes while eliminating waste in the health care system. Express Scripts Holding Company and its affiliated companies (individually and/or collectively "Express Scripts") hold more than 170 United States patents. We use these patents to protect our proprietary technological advances.

Our technology platform allows us to safely, rapidly, and accurately adjudicate 1.4 billion adjusted prescriptions annually. Our technology helps retail pharmacies focus on patient care, and our real-time safety checks help avoid hundreds of thousands of medication errors annually. Technology is the backbone to all of our solutions – from our provider-focused advances that improve e-prescribing and electronic prior authorization – to our patient-friendly app and website interfaces, and our continued investments provide an easier, more efficient experience with all of our partners.

Our formulary strategy and our SafeGuardRx program are also rooted in technology that applies our deep pharmacy expertise and data insights more rapidly and comprehensively to drive better clinical and financial outcomes for clients and patients.

Our Health Services business owns and has registered certain trade and service marks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including but not limited to the following marks: EXPRESS SCRIPTS®, MEDCO®, ACCREDO®, CURASCRIPTSD®, EVICORE HEALTHCARE®, FREEDOM FERTILITY PHARMACY®, RATIONALMED®, SCREENRX®, EXPRESSALLIANCE®, THERAPEUTIC RESOURCE CENTER®, ADVANCED OPIOID MANAGEMENTSM, SAFEGUARDRX®, CHOLESTEROL CARE VALUESM, HEPATITIS CURE VALUESM, MARKET EVENTS PROTECTIONSM, ONCOLOGY CARE VALUESSM, DIABETES CARE VALUESM, INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS CARE VALUESM, INFLATION PROTECTIONSM, PULMONARY CARE VALUESM, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS CARE VALUESM, and INSIDE RX®.

We also hold a portfolio of patents and pending patent applications. We are not substantially dependent on any single patent or group of related patents.

Suppliers

We maintain an inventory of brand name and generic pharmaceuticals in our home delivery and specialty pharmacies. Our specialty pharmacies also carry biopharmaceutical products to meet the needs of our customers, including pharmaceuticals for the treatment of rare or chronic diseases; if a drug is not in our inventory, we can generally obtain it from a supplier within one business day.

We purchase pharmaceuticals either directly from manufacturers or through authorized wholesalers. Express Scripts uses one wholesaler more than others in the industry, but holds contracts with other wholesalers if needs for an alternate source arise and believes alternative supply is readily available should it be needed. Generic pharmaceuticals are generally purchased directly from manufacturers.

Industry Developments

See the "Industry Developments" section of the MD&A in this Form 10-K beginning on page 47 for discussion of key industry developments impacting this segment.

International Markets

Cigna's International Markets segment has operations in over 30 countries or jurisdictions providing a full range of comprehensive medical and supplemental health, life, and accident benefits to individuals and employers. Products and services include comprehensive health coverage, hospitalization, dental, critical illness, personal accident, term life, and variable universal life. In 2018, International Markets reported adjusted revenues of $5.4 billion and pre-tax adjusted income from operations of $735 million.

Demand for our products and services is underpinned by the growing global middle class, aging populations, increasing prevalence of chronic conditions, and rising global health care costs. Our focus on product and service innovation means we continue to deliver solutions that meet the evolving needs of individual and group customers. Our distribution channels and funding sources range by product, customer, and geography.

International Markets is well-positioned to address the growing demand for access to quality, affordable care and supplemental health and life protection that fill gaps in public and private care. We distinguish ourselves through differentiated direct-to-consumer distribution, customer insights, product innovation, a leading provider network, and compliant solutions. We identify and pursue attractive market opportunities to bring health and protection solutions and tailor those solutions to the market and customer needs. Over the past several years, we have

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 13 extended our product offerings and geographic reach. The chart below provides a high-level summary of our Principal Products and Services in this segment as of year-end, with definitions on subsequent pages.

Principal Products & Services

Global Health Care products and services include insurance and administrative services for medical, dental, pharmacy, vision, and life, accidental death and dismemberment, and disability risks. We are leading providers of products and services that meet the needs of multi-national employers, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and globally mobile individuals with a focus on keeping employees healthy and productive. The employer benefits products and services are offered through guaranteed cost, experience-rated, and administrative services only funding solutions, while individuals purchase guaranteed cost (insured) coverage. For definitions of funding solutions, see "Funding Solutions" in the "Integrated Medical" description of business section on page 6 of this Form 10-K.

Local Health Care products and services include medical, dental, pharmacy, and vision as well as life coverage. The customers of local health care businesses are employers and individuals located in specific countries where the products and services are purchased. These employer services can similarly be funded through a range of options and individuals purchase on a guaranteed cost basis.

Supplemental Health, Life and Accident Insurance products and services generally provide simple, affordable coverage of risks for the health and financial security of individuals. Supplemental health products provide specified payments for a variety of health risks and include personal accident, accidental death, critical illness, hospitalization, travel, dental, cancer and other dread disease coverages. We also offer customers term and variable universal life insurance and certain savings products in select markets.

Competition

We anticipate that the competitive environment will intensify as insurance and financial services providers more aggressively pursue expansion opportunities across geographies, particularly Asia. We believe competitive factors will include speed-to-market, customer insights, branding, product, distribution and service innovation, underwriting and pricing, efficient management of marketing and operating processes, commission levels paid to distribution partners, the quality of claims, network coverage and medical cost management, and talent acquisition and retention. Additionally, in most overseas markets, perception of commitment to the market and financial strength will likely be an important competitive factor.

Pricing and Reinsurance

Premium rates and fees for our global and local health care products reflect assumptions about future claims, expenses, customer demographics, investment returns, and profit margins. For products using networks of contracted health care professionals and facilities, premiums reflect assumptions about the impact of these contracts and utilization management on future claims. Most contracts permit rate changes at least annually.

The profitability of health care products is dependent upon the accuracy of projections for health care inflation (unit cost, location of delivery of care, currency of incurral and utilization), customer demographics, the adequacy of fees charged for administration and effective medical cost management.

Premium rates for our supplemental benefits products are based on assumptions about mortality, morbidity, customer acquisition and retention, customer demographics, expenses and capital requirements, as well as interest rates. Variable universal life insurance products fees consist of mortality, administrative, asset management and surrender charges assessed against the contract holder's fund balance. Mortality charges on variable universal life may be adjusted prospectively to reflect expected mortality experience. Most contracts permit premium rate changes at least annually.

A global approach to underwriting risk management allows each local business to underwrite and accept risk within specified limits. Retentions are centrally managed through cost effective use of external reinsurance to limit our liability on per life, per risk and per event (catastrophe) bases.

Industry Developments and Other Items Affecting International Markets

South Korea represents our single largest geographic market for International Markets. For information on this concentration of risk for the International Markets segment's business in South Korea. see "Other Items Affecting Results of International Markets" in the International Markets section of the MD&A beginning on page 59 of this Form 10-K.

Pressure on social health care systems, a rapidly aging population and increased wealth and education in developing insurance markets are leading to higher demand for health insurance and financial security products. In the supplemental health, life and accident business, direct marketing channels continue to grow and attract new competitors with industry consolidation among financial institutions and other affinity partners.

Data privacy regulation has tightened in all markets in the wake of data privacy news scandals, impacting affinity partner and customer attitudes toward direct marketing of insurance and other financial services.

Group Disability and Other

As explained further in the introduction to this Form 10-K, Group Disability and Other consists of our Group Disability and Life operating segment, along with COLI and certain run-off businesses reported together in Other Operations. In 2018, Group Disability and Other reported adjusted revenues of $5.1 billion and pre-tax adjusted income from operations of $529 million.

Group Disability and Life

Our Group Disability and Life operating segment includes our commercial long- and short-term disability products, and our term life and universal life group insurance products. We also offer personal accident insurance and voluntary products and services. These products and services are distributed through brokers and direct sales and are available in fully-insured, experience-rated and ASO arrangements. The following chart depicts a high-level summary of our Principal Products and Services in this segment as of year-end, with definitions on subsequent pages.

Principal Products & Services

Group Disability

Group Long-term and Short-term Disability insurance products generally provide a fixed level of income to replace a portion of wages lost due to disability. As part of our group disability insurance products, we also assist employees in returning to work and employers with

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 15 resources to manage the cost of employee disability. We are an industry leader in helping employees return to work quickly, enabling higher productivity and lower cost for employers and a better quality of life for employees. While we offer this coverage in all three funding arrangements, most of our coverages are guaranteed cost.

Leave Administration solutions help customers effectively manage workforce absence and provide coverage for paid leave. We integrate the administration of our disability insurance products with other disability benefit programs, behavioral programs, medical programs, social security advocacy and administration of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"), State Leave laws and other leave-of-absence programs. We believe this integration supports greater efficiency and effectiveness in disability claims management, enhances productivity and reduces overall costs to employers. Integration also provides early insight into employees at risk for future disability claims. Coordinating the administration of these disability programs with programs offered by our medical business provides enhanced opportunities to influence outcomes, reduce the cost of both medical and disability events and improve the return-to-work rate.

Group Life Insurance

Group Term Life insurance may be employer-paid basic life insurance, employee-paid supplemental life insurance or a combination thereof.

Group Universal Life insurance is a voluntary life insurance product in which the owner may accumulate a cash value. The cash value earns interest at rates declared from time to time, subject to a minimum guaranteed contracted rate, and may be borrowed, withdrawn, or, within certain limits, used to fund future life insurance coverage.

Other Products and Services

Personal Accident Insurance coverage consists primarily of accidental death and dismemberment and travel accident insurance to employers.

Specialty Insurance Services consist of disability and life, accident and hospital indemnity products to professional or trade associations and financial institutions.

Voluntary Products and Services include plans that provide employers with administrative solutions designed to provide a complete and simple way to manage their benefits program. These voluntary offerings include accidental injury insurance, critical illness coverage and hospital care coverage, and provide additional dollar payouts to employees for unexpected accidents, hospitalization or more serious illnesses.

Pricing and Reinsurance

Premiums charged for disability and term life insurance products are usually established in advance of the policy period, are generally guaranteed for one to three years, but selectively guaranteed for up to five years. Policies are generally subject to termination by the policyholder or by the insurance company annually. Premium rates reflect assumptions about future claims, expenses, credit risk, investment returns and profit margins. These assumptions may be based in whole or in part on prior experience of the account or on a pool of accounts, depending on the group size and the statistical credibility of the experience that varies by product.

Premiums for group universal life insurance products consist of mortality and administrative charges assessed against the policyholder's fund balance. Interest credited and mortality charges for group universal life may be adjusted prospectively to reflect expected interest and mortality experience. Mortality charges are subject to maximum guaranteed rates and interest credited on cash values is subject to minimum guaranteed rates as stated in the policy.

The premiums for these products are typically collected within the coverage year and then invested in assets that match the duration of the expected benefit payments that occur over many future years (primarily for disability benefits). With significant investments in longer-duration securities, net investment income is a critical element of profitability for this segment.

The effectiveness of return-to-work programs and morbidity levels will impact the profitability of disability insurance products. Our claim experience and industry data indicate a correlation between disability claim incidence levels and economic conditions, with submitted claims rising under adverse economic conditions, although the extent of this impact is unclear. For life insurance products, the degree to which future experience deviates from mortality and expense assumptions also affects profitability.

To reduce our exposure to large individual and catastrophic losses under group life, disability and accidental death policies, as well as our more recent accidental injury and critical illness policies, we purchase reinsurance from a diverse group of unaffiliated reinsurers. Our comprehensive reinsurance program consists of excess of loss treaties and catastrophe coverage designed to mitigate earnings volatility and provide surplus protection.

Market Segments

Commercial. Commercial Market Segments are comprised of National, Middle Market and Select.

National. Multi-state employers with 5,000 or more U.S.-based, full-time employees.

Middle Market. Employers generally with 250 to 4,999 U.S.-based, full-time employees.

Select. Employers generally with up to 249 eligible employees.

Primary Distribution Channels

Insurance Broker and Consultants. Sales representatives distribute our products and services to a broad group of insurance brokers and consultants across the United States.

Direct. Sales representatives distribute our products and services directly to employers, unions and other groups or individuals across the United States. This may take the form of in-person contact, telephonic or group selling venues.

Competition

The principal competitive factors that affect the Group Disability and Life segment are underwriting and pricing, the quality and effectiveness of claims management, relative operating efficiency, investment and risk management, distribution methodologies and producer relations, the breadth and variety of products and services offered, the quality of customer service and, more importantly, the state of the tools and technology available for customers, clients, consultants and producers. For certain products with longer-term liabilities, such as group long-term disability insurance, the financial strength of the insurer, as indicated by ratings issued by nationally recognized rating agencies, is also a competitive factor.

National Insurers. Unum, The Hartford, Prudential, Lincoln and MetLife compete with us on a variety of products and regions throughout the United States.

Industry Developments

Employers have expressed a growing interest in employee wellness, absence management and productivity, and recognize a strong link between employee health productivity and profitability. As this interest grows, we believe our healthy lifestyle and return-to-work programs and integrated family medical leave, disability and health care programs position us to deliver integrated solutions for employers and employees. Our strong disability management portfolio and fully integrated programs also provide tools for employers and employees to improve health status. Our focus on managing employees' total absence enables us to increase the number and effectiveness of interventions and minimize disabling events.

The group insurance market remains highly competitive as the rising cost of medical coverage has forced companies to re-evaluate their overall employee benefit spending, resulting in lower volumes of group disability and life insurance business and more competitive pricing. Demographic shifts have further driven demand for products and services that are sufficiently flexible to meet the evolving needs of employers and employees who want innovative, cost-effective insurance solutions, and employers continue to move towards greater employee participatory coverage and voluntary purchases. As the market becomes more retail-focused, our broad suite of voluntary offerings and continued focus on developing additional voluntary products and service capabilities positions us well to meet the needs of both employers and employees.

Over the past few years, there has been heightened review by state regulators of the claims handling practices within the disability and life insurance industry. This has resulted in an increase in coordinated, multi-state examinations that target specific market practices in addition to regularly recurring examinations of an insurer's overall operations conducted by an individual state's regulators. We have been subject to such an examination over the past several years. See Note 19D. to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

The lower level of interest rates in the United States over the last several years has constrained earnings growth in this segment due to lower yields on our fixed-income investments and higher benefit expenses resulting from the discounting of future claim payments at lower interest rates.

Other Operations

Other Operations includes the following:

Corporate-owned Life Insurance

The principal products of the COLI business are permanent insurance contracts sold to corporations to provide coverage on the lives of certain employees for the purpose of financing employer-paid future benefit obligations. Permanent life insurance provides coverage that, when adequately funded, does not expire after a term of years. The contracts are primarily non-participating universal life policies. Fees for universal life insurance products consist primarily of mortality and administrative charges assessed against the policyholder's fund balance. Interest credited and mortality charges for universal life and mortality charges on variable universal life may be adjusted prospectively to reflect expected interest and mortality experience. To reduce our exposure to large individual and catastrophe losses, we purchase reinsurance from unaffiliated reinsurers.

Run-off Settlement Annuity Business

Our settlement annuity business is a closed, run-off block of single premium annuity contracts. These contracts are primarily liability settlements with approximately 20% of the liabilities associated with guaranteed payments not contingent on survivorship. Non-guaranteed payments are contingent on the survival of one or more parties involved in the settlement.

Run-off Reinsurance

Our reinsurance operations are an inactive business in run-off.

In February 2013, we effectively exited the guaranteed minimum death benefit ("GMDB") and guaranteed minimum income benefit ("GMIB") business by reinsuring 100% of our future exposures, net of retrocessional arrangements in place at that time, up to a specified limit. For additional information regarding this reinsurance transaction and the arrangements that secure our reinsurance recoverables, see Note 8 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 17

Individual Life Insurance and Annuity and Retirement Benefits Businesses

This business includes deferred gains recognized from the 1998 sale of the individual life insurance and annuity business and the 2004 sale of the retirement benefits business. For more information regarding the arrangements that secure our reinsurance recoverables for the retirement benefits business, see Note 8 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Certain International Run-off Businesses

Certain European, Middle Eastern and Canadian operations are in run-off and included in Other Operations.

Investment Management

General Accounts

Our investment operations provide investment management and related services for our corporate invested assets and the insurance-related invested assets in our General Account ("General Account Invested Assets"). We acquire or originate, directly or through intermediaries, a broad range of investments including private placement and public securities, commercial mortgage loans, real estate, mezzanine, private equity partnerships and short-term investments. Invested assets also include policy loans that are fully collateralized by insurance policy cash values. Invested assets are managed primarily by our subsidiaries and, to a lesser extent, external managers with whom our subsidiaries contract. Net investment income is included as a component of adjusted income from operations for each of our segments and Corporate. Realized investment gains (losses) are reported by segment but excluded from adjusted income from operations. For additional information about invested assets, see the "Investment Assets" section of the MD&A beginning on page 61 and Notes 9 and 10 of our Consolidated Financial Statements.

We manage our investment portfolios to reflect the underlying characteristics of related insurance and contractholder liabilities and capital requirements, as well as regulatory and tax considerations pertaining to those liabilities and state investment laws. Insurance and contractholder liabilities range from short duration health care products to longer term obligations associated with disability and life insurance products and the run-off settlement annuity business. Assets supporting these liabilities are managed in segregated investment portfolios to facilitate matching of asset durations and cash flows to those of corresponding liabilities. Investment strategy and results are affected by the amount and timing of cash available for investment, competition for investments, economic conditions, interest rates and asset allocation decisions. We routinely monitor and evaluate the status of our investments, obtaining and analyzing relevant investment-specific information and assessing current economic conditions, trends in capital markets and other factors such as industry sector, geographic and property-specific information.

Separate Accounts

Our subsidiaries or external advisors manage invested assets of Separate Accounts on behalf of contractholders, including the Cigna Pension Plan, variable universal life products sold through our corporate-owned life insurance business, and other disability and life products. These assets are legally segregated from our other businesses and are not included in General Account Invested Assets. Income, gains and losses generally accrue directly to the contractholders.

Investing in Innovation

In addition to the portfolio investments in our general and separate accounts discussed above that support our insurance operations, in 2018, we began targeted investing within the health care industry specifically. Our recently-formed Cigna Ventures unit has been allotted $250 million to invest in promising startups and growth-stage companies that create new growth possibilities in health care. These targeted investments bring improved care quality, affordability, choice and greater simplicity to customers, patients and clients by harnessing transformative ideas in: 1) insights and analytics; 2) digital health and retail; and 3) care delivery and management.

Regulation

The laws and regulations governing our business continue to increase each year and are subject to frequent change. We are regulated by federal, state and international regulatory agencies that generally have discretion to issue regulations and interpret and enforce laws and rules. These regulations can vary significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and the interpretation of existing laws and rules also may change periodically. Domestic and international governments continue to enact and consider various legislative and regulatory proposals that could materially impact the health care system.

Many aspects of our business are directly regulated by federal and state laws and administrative agencies, such as HHS, CMS, the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), the Departments of Labor ("DOL"), Treasury and Justice ("DOJ"), the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), state departments of insurance and state boards of pharmacy. Our business practices may also be shaped by judicial decisions.

In addition, aspects of our business are subject to indirect regulation. The self-funded benefit plans sponsored by our employer clients are regulated under federal law. These self-funded clients expect us to assure that our administration of their plans complies with the regulatory requirements applicable to them.

Our business operations and the books and records of our regulated businesses are routinely subject to examination at regular intervals by state insurance and HMO regulatory agencies, state boards of pharmacy, CMS, DOL, IRS and comparable international regulators to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Our operations are also subject to non-routine examinations and investigations by various state and federal regulatory agencies, generally as the result of a complaint. In addition, we may be implicated in investigations of our clients whose group benefit plans we administer on their behalf. As a result, we routinely receive subpoenas and other demands or requests for information from various state insurance and HMO regulatory agencies, state attorneys general, the Office of Inspector General ("OIG"), the DOJ, the DOL and other state, federal and international authorities. We may also be called upon to provide information by members of the U.S. Congress, including testifying before congressional committees and subcommittees regarding certain of our business practices. If Cigna is determined to have failed to comply with applicable laws or regulations, these examinations, investigations, reviews, subpoenas and demands may:

result in fines, penalties, injunctions, consent orders or loss of licensure;

require changes in business practices;

damage relationships with the agencies that regulate us and affect our ability to secure regulatory approvals necessary for the operation of our business; or

damage our brand and reputation.

Our international subsidiaries are subject to regulations in international jurisdictions where foreign insurers may face more rigorous regulations than their domestic competitors.

The laws and regulations governing our business, as well as the related interpretations, are subject to frequent change and can be inconsistent or in conflict with each other. For a discussion of the risks related to our compliance with these laws and regulations see the Risk Factors section located in Part 1, Item 1A of the Form 10-K. Management continues to be actively engaged with regulators and policymakers with respect to legislation and rule-making. See the "Executive Overview – Health Care Industry Developments and Other Matters Affecting our Integrated Medical and Health Services Segments" section of our MD&A located in Part II, Item 7 of the Form 10-K for a discussion of the anticipated impact of certain recent industry developments.

Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandated broad changes affecting many aspects of the health care system. The ACA affects many aspects of health care, including insured and self-insured health benefit plans and pharmacy benefit managers. Our business model is impacted by the ACA, including our relationships with current and future producers and health care providers, products, service providers and technologies. Key provisions of the ACA include the imposition of a non-tax deductible health insurance industry fee and other assessments on health insurers, the creation of health insurance exchanges for individuals and small group employers to purchase insurance coverage and minimum loss ratios for our commercial and Medicare Part D business. Other provisions of the ACA in effect include reduced Medicare Advantage premium rates, the requirement to cover preventive services with no enrollee cost-sharing, banning the use of lifetime and annual limits on the dollar amount of essential health benefits, increasing restrictions on rescinding coverage, extending coverage of dependents up to age 26, enforcement mechanisms and rules related to healthcare fraud and abuse enforcement activities and certain pharmacy benefit transparency requirements. The employer mandate requires employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer affordable health insurance that provides minimum value (each as defined under the ACA) to full-time employees and their dependents, including children up to age 26, or be subject to penalties based on employer size. The ACA also changed certain tax laws to effectively limit tax deductions for certain employee compensation paid by health insurers.

Since its adoption, there have been several attempts to repeal or limit the utility of the ACA. The current administration has issued several executive orders and approved legislative changes that affect the ACA, the impacts of which are not yet fully known. Among other things, these actions restricted agencies from taking certain actions that would impose a fiscal burden on any state, individual, provider, insurer, recipient of health care services, purchaser of health insurance or maker of medical devices, products or medications; and stopped payment of cost-sharing reduction subsidies to insurers. In December 2017, U.S. tax reform legislation was signed into law that, among other things, reduced the "individual mandate" penalty for individuals without health insurance to zero dollars, effective January 1, 2019. As a result of this change, a federal district court has ruled that the "individual mandate" is unconstitutional thereby leaving in doubt whether the entire ACA is unconstitutional until there is a final judicial determination on appeal.

Additionally, in 2017, the current administration issued an executive order asking the DOL to revise the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA") regulations to make it easier for employers, particularly small employers, to associate for the purpose of sponsoring large group health plans and thereby avoid the ACA's small group market reform (e.g., community-rating and mandated coverage of essential health benefits) that impaired the affordability of providing health coverage to their employees. In the spring of 2018, the DOL issued final rules that revised the definition of "employer" in the ERISA rules to make it easier for employers, including self-employed individuals, to form bona fide employer groups, all of whose employees would be counted in determining whether they were small or large groups for purposes of the ACA. While the regulation of these groupings by state insurance departments is not affected by the DOL's final association health plan rules, the final rules have resulted in an increase in interest among employers, associations, producers and benefit consultants in forming new groupings for purposes of offering insured or self-funded group health plans.

Medicare and Medicaid Regulations

Through our subsidiaries, we offer individual and group Medicare Advantage, Medicare Pharmacy (Part D) and Medicare Supplement products. We also provide Medicare Part D-related products and services to other Medicare Part D sponsors, Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans and other employers and clients offering Medicare Part D benefits to Medicare Part D eligible beneficiaries. As part of our Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D business, we contract with CMS to provide services to Medicare beneficiaries. As a result, our ability to obtain payment (and the determination of the amount of such payments), market to, enroll and retain members and expand into new service areas is subject to compliance with CMS' numerous and complex regulations and requirements that are frequently modified and subject to

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 19 administrative discretion. Our Medicaid and dual-eligible products are regulated by CMS. State Medicaid agencies audit our performance to determine compliance with contracts and regulations.

CMS evaluates Medicare Advantage plans and Part D plans under its "Star Rating" system. The Star Rating system considers various measures adopted by CMS, including, for example, quality of care, preventative services, chronic illness management, coverage determinations and appeals and customer satisfaction. A plan's Star Rating affects its image in the market and plans that perform very well are able to market more effectively and for longer periods of time than other plans. Medicare Advantage plans' quality-bonus payments are determined by the Star Rating, with plans receiving a rating of four or more stars eligible for such payments. The Star Rating system is subject to change annually by CMS, which may make it more difficult to achieve four stars or greater.

CMS uses a risk-adjustment model which adjusts premiums paid to Medicare Advantage plans according to customers' health status. The risk-adjustment model generally pays more where a plan's membership has higher expected costs. Under this model, rates paid to Medicare Advantage plans are based on actuarially determined bids, which include a process whereby our prospective payments are based on our estimated cost of providing standard Medicare-covered benefits to an enrollee with a "national average risk profile." That baseline payment amount is adjusted to reflect the health status of our enrolled membership. Under the risk-adjustment methodology, Medicare Advantage plans must collect and submit the necessary diagnosis code information from hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, and physician providers to CMS within prescribed deadlines. The CMS risk-adjustment model uses the diagnosis data to calculate the risk-adjusted premium payment to the plans, which CMS adjusts for coding pattern differences between the health plans and the government fee-for-service program.

On November 1, 2018, CMS released a proposed rule titled "Proposed Rule on Changes to MA and Part D Programs for CY 2020 and 2021" (the "MAPD Proposed Rule") that would revise its Risk Adjustment Data Validation ("RADV") methodology by, among other things, excluding an adjustment for underlying fee-for-service data errors (FFS Adjuster) and extrapolating RADV results at the contract level. On November 30, 2018, CMS released proposed rules titled "Modernizing Part D and Medicare Advantage to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Expenses" (the "Proposed Part D Rule") that focused on drug pricing, including a proposal to amend the definition of "negotiated price" in Part D to require Part D plans to apply pharmacy price concessions at the point of sale when calculating a Part D beneficiary's copayment. The Proposed MAPD Rule and the Proposed Part D Rule are subject to revision through the comment process.

In February 2019, CMS proposed rules to support the seamless and secure access, exchange and use of electronic health information. In the proposed rules, CMS proposes requirements that Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicare Advantage plans and qualified health plans in the federally-facilitated exchanges provide enrollees with immediate electronic access to medical claims and other health information electronically by 2020. This proposed rule is subject to revision through a comment process.

Non-compliance with these laws and regulations may result in significant consequences, including fines and penalties, enrollment sanctions, exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, limitations on expansion, and criminal penalties.

False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Laws

Our products and services are subject to numerous laws and regulations, including the federal False Claims Act (the "False Claims Act") and federal and state anti-kickback laws. Additionally, the federal government has made investigating and prosecuting health care fraud, waste and abuse a priority. Fraud, waste and abuse prohibitions encompass a wide range of activities, including kickbacks in return for customer referrals, billing for unnecessary medical services, upcoding and improper marketing. The regulations and contractual requirements in this area are complex, are frequently modified, and are subject to administrative discretion and judicial interpretation.

False Claims Act and Related Criminal Provisions. The False Claims Act imposes civil penalties for knowingly making or causing to be made false claims or false records or statements with respect to governmental programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, to obtain reimbursement or for failure to return overpayments. Private individuals may bring qui tam or "whistleblower" suits against providers under the False Claims Act, which authorizes the payment of a portion of any recovery to the individual bringing suit. The ACA amended the federal anti-kickback laws to state any claim submitted to a federal or state healthcare program which violates the anti-kickback laws is also a false claim under the False Claims Act. The False Claims Act generally provides for the imposition of civil penalties and for treble damages, resulting in the possibility of substantial financial liabilities. Criminal statutes similar to the False Claims Act provide that if a corporation is convicted of presenting a claim or making a statement it knows to be false, fictitious or fraudulent to any federal agency, the corporation may be fined. Conviction under these statutes may also result in exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs. Many states have also enacted laws similar to the False Claims Act, some of which may include criminal penalties, substantial fines and treble damages.

Anti-Kickback and Referral Laws. Subject to certain exceptions and "safe harbors," the federal anti-kickback statute generally prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully paying, receiving or offering any payment or other remuneration to induce a person to purchase, lease, order or arrange for items (including prescription drugs) or services reimbursable in whole or in part under Medicare, Medicaid or another federal healthcare program. Many states have similar laws, some of which apply similar anti-kickback prohibitions to items or services reimbursable by non-governmental payors. Sanctions for violating these federal and state anti-kickback laws may include criminal and civil fines and exclusion from participation in the federal and state healthcare programs.

Anti-kickback laws have been cited as a partial basis, along with state consumer protection laws described below, for investigations and multi-state settlements relating to financial incentives provided by drug manufacturers to pharmacies and/or payors in connection with "product conversion" or promotion programs. Other anti-kickback laws may be applicable to arrangements with pharmaceutical manufacturers, such as the Public Contracts Anti-Kickback Act, the ERISA Health Plan Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal "Stark Law" and various state anti-kickback restrictions.

In February 2019, HHS proposed changes to the federal anti-kickback safe harbor to exclude regulatory protection for rebates between drug manufacturers and Medicare Part D plans, Medicaid managed care organizations and pharmacy benefit managers in the context of these government programs. The proposed regulations in their current form apply solely to Medicare Part D and Medicaid programs, which include our Government business in the Integrated Medical segment. The proposed regulations also seek to create new safe harbor protections for fixed fee services arrangements between drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers, as well as protections for discounts offered at the point of sale. HHS has stated that it does not intend for the proposal to have an effect on existing protections for value-based arrangements between manufacturers and plan sponsors under Medicare Part D and Medicaid MCOs. While legislative and regulatory discussions on the other issues raised in the blueprint continue to be the subject of legislative and regulatory activity, they have yet to be implemented in any form.

Federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law. The federal civil monetary penalty statute provides for civil monetary penalties against any person who gives something of value to a Medicare or Medicaid program beneficiary which the person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary's selection of a particular provider for Medicare or Medicaid items or services. Under this law, our wholly-owned home delivery pharmacies, specialty pharmacies and home health providers are restricted from offering certain items of value to influence a Medicare or Medicaid patient's use of services. The ACA also includes several civil monetary provisions, such as penalties for the failure to report and return a known overpayment and failure to grant timely access to the OIG under certain circumstances.

Federal and State Oversight of Government-Sponsored Health Care Programs

Participation in government-sponsored health care programs subjects us to a variety of federal and state laws and regulations and risks associated with audits conducted under these programs. These audits may occur years after the provision of services. Risks include potential fines and penalties, restrictions on our ability to participate or expand our presence in certain programs and restrictions on marketing our plans. For example, with respect to our Medicare Advantage business, CMS and the OIG perform audits to determine a health plan's compliance with federal regulations and contractual obligations, including program audits and compliance with proper coding practices (sometimes referred to as "Risk Adjustment Data Validation Audits" or "RADV audits").

Separately, the DOJ is currently conducting an industry review of the risk adjustment data submission practices and business processes, including review of medical charts, of Cigna and a number of other Medicare Advantage organizations under Medicare Parts C and D.

For our Medicare Part D business, compliance with fraud and abuse enforcement practices is monitored through Recovery Audit Contractor audits in which third-party contractors conduct post-payment reviews on a contingency fee basis to detect and correct improper payments.

Government Procurement Regulations

We have a contract with the DoD, which subjects us to all of the applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations ("FAR") and the DoD FAR Supplement, which govern federal government contracts. Further, there are other federal and state laws applicable to our DoD arrangement and our arrangements with other clients that may be subject to government procurement regulations. In addition, certain of our clients participate as contracting carriers in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program administered by the Office of Personnel Management, which includes various pharmacy benefit management standards.

Employee Retirement Income Security Act

Our domestic subsidiaries sell most of their products and services to sponsors of employee benefit plans that are governed by ERISA. ERISA is a complex set of federal laws and regulations enforced by the IRS and the DOL, as well as the courts. ERISA regulates certain aspects of the relationship between us, the employers that maintain employee welfare benefit plans subject to ERISA and participants in such plans. Certain of our domestic subsidiaries are also subject to requirements imposed by ERISA affecting claim payment and appeals procedures for individual health insurance and insured and self-insured group health plans and for the insured dental, disability, life and accident plans we administer. Certain of our domestic subsidiaries also may contractually agree to comply with these requirements on behalf of the self-insured dental, disability, life and accident plans they administer. We believe the conduct of our pharmacy benefit management business is not generally subject to the fiduciary obligations of ERISA. However, there can be no assurances that the DOL may not assert that pharmacy benefit managers are fiduciaries. From time to time, states have considered legislation to declare a pharmacy benefit manager or medical benefit manager a fiduciary with respect to its clients.

Plans subject to ERISA can also be subject to state laws and the legal question of whether and to what extent ERISA preempts a state law will continue to be subject to court interpretation.

Privacy, Security and Data Standards Regulations

Many of our activities involve the receipt or use of confidential health and other personal information. In addition, we use aggregated and de-identified data for our own research and analysis purposes and, in some cases, provide access to such data to pharmaceutical manufacturers and third-party data aggregators.

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and its implementing regulations ("HIPAA") impose minimum standards on health insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, HMOs, health plans, health care providers and clearinghouses for the privacy and security of protected health information. HIPAA also established rules that standardize the format and content of certain electronic transactions, including, but not limited to, eligibility and claims.

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ("HITECH") imposes additional contracting requirements for covered entities, the extension of privacy and security provisions to business associates, the requirement to provide notification to various parties in the event of a data breach of protected health information, and enhanced financial penalties for HIPAA violations, including potential criminal penalties for individuals. In the conduct of our business, depending on the circumstances, we may act as either a covered entity or a business associate.

The federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act generally places restrictions on the disclosure of non-public information to non-affiliated third parties, and requires financial institutions, including insurers, to provide customers with notice regarding how their non-public personal information is used, including an opportunity to "opt out" of certain disclosures. State departments of insurance and certain federal agencies adopted implementing regulations as required by federal law.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 21

A number of states have adopted data security laws and regulations regulating data security and requiring security breach notification that may apply to us in certain circumstances and are increasingly focused on protecting individuals from identity theft. Neither HIPAA nor the Gramm-Leach-Bliley privacy regulations preempt more stringent state laws and regulations. In addition, international laws, rules and regulations governing the use and disclosure of personal information are generally more stringent than in the United States, and they vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 ("CISA") encourages organizations to share cyber threat indicators with the federal government and, among other things, directs HHS to develop a set of voluntary cybersecurity best practices for organizations in the health care industry. States have also begun to issue regulations specifically related to cybersecurity. In October 2017, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners ("NAIC"), an organization of state insurance regulators, adopted the Insurance Data Security Model Law that creates rules for insurers and other covered entities addressing data security, investigation and notification of breaches. This includes maintaining an information security program based on ongoing risk assessment, overseeing third-party service providers, investigating data breaches and notifying regulators of a cybersecurity event. As the model law is intended to serve as model legislation only, states will need to enact legislation for the model law to become mandatory and enforceable. We will continue to monitor states' activity regarding cybersecurity regulation.

The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), which became enforceable in May 2018, introduced a number of new obligations regarding the handling of personal data of European customers. GDPR provides certain individual privacy rights to certain persons whose data we may store and provides for greater penalties for non-compliance than previous European data protection laws. In addition, many countries outside of Europe where we conduct business are considering data protection laws and regulations that include requirements modeled after those in the GDPR.

Consumer Protection Laws

We engage in direct-to-consumer activities and are increasingly offering mobile and web-based solutions to our customers. We are therefore subject to federal and state regulations applicable to electronic communications and other consumer protection laws and regulations, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the CAN-SPAM Act. In particular, the Federal Trade Commission is increasingly exercising its enforcement authority in the areas of consumer privacy and data security, with a focus on web-based, mobile data and "big data." Federal consumer protection laws may also apply in some instances to privacy and security practices related to personally identifiable information.

Most states have consumer protection laws that have been the basis for investigations and multi-state settlements relating to financial incentives provided by drug manufacturers to retail pharmacies in connection with product conversion programs. Such statutes have also been cited as the basis for claims or investigations by state attorneys general relative to privacy and data security.

Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering

We are also subject to regulation by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury that administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions against targeted foreign countries and regimes based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals.

Certain of our products are subject to the Department of the Treasury anti-money laundering regulations under the Bank Secrecy Act.

In addition, we may be subject to similar regulations in non-U.S. jurisdictions in which we operate.

Corporate Practice of Medicine and Other Laws

Many states in which our subsidiaries operate limit the practice of medicine to licensed individuals or professional organizations comprised of licensed individuals, and business corporations generally may not exercise control over the medical decisions of physicians. Statutes and regulations relating to the practice of medicine, fee-splitting between physicians and referral sources, and similar issues vary widely from state to state. Under management agreements between certain of our subsidiaries and affiliated physician-owned professional groups, these groups retain sole responsibility for all medical decisions, as well as for hiring and managing physicians and other licensed health care providers, developing operating policies and procedures, implementing professional standards and controls, and maintaining malpractice insurance. We believe that our health services operations comply with applicable state statutes regarding corporate practice of medicine, fee-splitting, and similar issues. However, any enforcement actions by governmental officials alleging non-compliance with these statutes could subject us to penalties or restructuring or reorganization of our business.

Network Access Legislation

A majority of states now have some form of legislation affecting our ability, or our clients' ability, to limit access to a pharmacy provider network or remove a provider from a network. Such legislation may require us or our clients to admit any retail pharmacy or provider willing to meet the plan's terms and conditions for network participation ("any willing provider" legislation) or may direct that a provider may not be removed from a network except in compliance with certain procedures ("due process" legislation).

Certain states have enacted legislation prohibiting certain pharmacy benefit management clients from imposing additional co-payments, deductibles, limitations on benefits, or other conditions ("Conditions") on covered individuals utilizing a retail pharmacy when the same Conditions are not otherwise imposed on covered individuals utilizing home delivery pharmacies. However, the legislation requires the retail pharmacy to agree to the same reimbursement amounts and terms and conditions as are imposed on the home delivery pharmacies. An increase in the number of prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies may have a negative impact on the number of prescriptions filled through home delivery. We anticipate additional states will consider similar legislation.

Legislation Affecting Plan Design

Some states have enacted legislation that prohibits managed care plan sponsors from implementing certain restrictive benefit plan design features, and many states have introduced legislation to regulate various aspects of managed care plans, including provisions relating to the pharmacy benefit. For example, some states, under so-called "freedom of choice" legislation, provide members of the plan may not be required to use network providers, but must instead be provided with benefits even if they choose to use non-network providers. Some states have also enacted legislation, which, as described above, can negatively impact the use of cost-saving network configurations for plan sponsors. Other states have enacted legislation purporting to prohibit health plans from offering members financial incentives for use of home delivery pharmacies. Medicare and some states have issued guidance and regulations which limit our ability to fill or refill prescriptions electronically submitted by a physician to our home delivery pharmacy without first obtaining consent from the patient. Such restrictions generate additional costs and limit our ability to maximize efficiencies which could otherwise be gained through the electronic prescription and automatic refill processes. Legislation has been introduced in some states to prohibit or restrict therapeutic intervention, or to require coverage of all Food and Drug Administration approved drugs. Other states mandate coverage of certain benefits or conditions, and require health plan coverage of specific drugs if deemed medically necessary by the prescribing physician. States are also standardizing the process for, and restricting the use of, utilization management rules and shortening the time frames within which prescription drug prior authorization determinations must be made. Even where states do not regulate pharmacy benefit or utilization management companies directly, these laws will apply to many of our clients, including managed care organizations and health insurers.

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Drug Pricing Regulation

Our pharmacy benefit management services are subject to numerous laws and regulations. These laws and regulations govern, and proposed legislation and regulations may govern, critical practices, including disclosure, receipt and retention of rebates and other payments received from pharmaceutical manufacturers; the receipt and retention of transmission fees from contracted pharmacies; use of, administration of, and/or changes to drug formularies, maximum allowable cost list pricing, and/or clinical programs; disclosure of data to third parties; drug utilization management practices; the level of duty a pharmacy benefit manager owes its clients or customers; configuration of pharmacy networks; the operations of our subsidiary pharmacies; disclosure of negotiated provider reimbursement rates; disclosure of negotiated drug rebates, calculation of customer cost share for prescription drug claims; disclosure of fees associated with administrative service agreements and patient care programs that are attributable to customers' drug utilization; and registration or licensing of pharmacy benefit managers. Some states have adopted so-called "most favored nation" legislation which provides that a pharmacy participating in the state Medicaid program must give the state the best price the pharmacy makes available to any third-party plan.

Prescription drug pricing and the role of pharmacy benefit managers have been a focus of the current administration. In May 2018, the current administration announced a blueprint, titled "American Patients First," which considers a series of drug pricing proposals including, among other things, removal of the anti-kickback safe harbor protection for rebates between drug manufacturers and insurers and pharmacy benefit managers and improvements to pricing transparency. In October 2018, Congress enacted laws that prohibited pharmacy benefit managers and insurers from restricting pharmacies from providing drug pricing information to a plan enrollee when there is a difference between the cost of the drug under insurance and the cost of the drug when purchased without insurance. See also, "False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Laws" for a discussion of HHS' proposed rule changes to the federal anti-kickback safe harbor to exclude regulatory protection for rebates between drug manufacturers and Medicare Part D plans, Medicaid managed care organizations and pharmacy benefit managers in the context of these government programs.

Some states have enacted statutes regulating the use of maximum allowable cost ("MAC") pricing. These statutes, referred to as "MAC Transparency Laws," generally require pharmacy benefit managers to disclose specific information related to MAC pricing to pharmacies and provide certain appeal rights for pharmacies. MAC Transparency Laws also restrict the application of MAC and may require operational changes to maintain compliance with the law. Some states have also enacted laws regulating pharmacy pricing and protecting the profitability of pharmacies for dispensing certain MAC-priced drugs. Some states have enacted laws requiring that the customer cost share for a prescription drug claim not exceed certain price points, such as the pharmacy's usual and customary charge or its contracted reimbursement for the drug.

In March 2018, the NAIC adopted changes to the Health Carrier Prescription Drug Benefit Management Model Act. The changes address issues relating to (i) transparency, accuracy and disclosure regarding prescription drug formularies and formulary changes during a policy year; (ii) accessibility of prescription drug benefits using a variety of pharmacy options; and (iii) tiered prescription drug formularies and discriminatory benefit design. While the actions of the NAIC do not have the force of law, they may influence states to adopt laws based on the model legislation.

The federal Medicaid rebate program requires participating drug manufacturers to provide rebates on all drugs reimbursed through state Medicaid programs, including through Medicaid managed care organizations. Manufacturers of brand name products must provide a rebate equivalent to the greater of (a) 23.1% of the average manufacturer price ("AMP") paid by retail community pharmacies or by wholesalers for certain drugs distributed to retail community pharmacies, or (b) the difference between AMP and the "best price" available to essentially any customer other than the Medicaid program and certain other government programs, with certain exceptions. We negotiate rebates with drug manufacturers and, in certain circumstances, sell services to drug manufacturers. Investigations are being and have been conducted by certain governmental entities which call into question whether a drug's "best price" was properly calculated and reported with respect to rebates paid by the manufacturers to the Medicaid programs. We are not responsible for such calculations, reports or payments.

Pharmacy Regulation

Our home delivery and specialty pharmacies are licensed to do business as a pharmacy in the states in which they are located. Most of the states into which we deliver pharmaceuticals have laws that require out-of-state home delivery pharmacies to register with, or be licensed by, the board of pharmacy or a similar regulatory body in the state. These states generally permit the pharmacy to follow the laws of the state in which the home delivery service is located, although some states require compliance with certain laws in that state as it impacts or relates to drugs distributed or dispensed into those states.

Our various pharmacy facilities also maintain certain Medicare and state Medicaid provider numbers as pharmacies providing services under these programs. Participation in these programs requires our pharmacies to comply with the applicable Medicare and Medicaid provider rules and regulations, and exposes the pharmacies to various changes the federal and state governments may impose regarding reimbursement methodologies and amounts to be paid to participating providers under these programs. In addition, several of our pharmacy facilities are

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 23 participating providers under Medicare Part D and, as a condition to becoming a participating provider under Medicare Part D, the pharmacies are required to adhere to certain requirements applicable to Medicare Part D.

Other statutes and regulations affect our home delivery and specialty pharmacy operations, including the federal and state anti-kickback laws and the federal civil monetary penalty law described above. Federal and state statutes and regulations govern the labeling, packaging, advertising, adulteration and security of prescription drugs and the dispensing of controlled substances. The Federal Trade Commission requires mail order sellers of goods generally to engage in truthful advertising, to stock a reasonable supply of the product to be sold, to fill mail orders within thirty days and to provide clients with refunds when appropriate. The United States Postal Service also has significant statutory authority to restrict the delivery of drugs and medicines through the mail.

Financial Reporting, Internal Control and Corporate Governance

Regulators closely monitor the financial condition of licensed insurance companies and HMOs. States regulate the form and content of statutory financial statements, the type and concentration of permitted investments, and corporate governance over financial reporting. Our insurance and HMO subsidiaries are required to file periodic financial reports and schedules with regulators in most of the jurisdictions in which they do business as well as annual financial statements audited by independent registered public accounting firms. Certain insurance and HMO subsidiaries are required to file an annual report of internal control over financial reporting with most jurisdictions in which they do business. Insurance and HMO subsidiaries' operations and accounts are subject to examination by such agencies. Many states have expanded regulations relating to corporate governance and internal control activities of insurance and HMO subsidiaries as a result of model regulations adopted by the NAIC with elements similar to corporate governance and risk oversight disclosure requirements under federal securities laws.

Guaranty Associations, Indemnity Funds, Risk Pools and Administrative Funds

Most states and certain non-U.S. jurisdictions require insurance companies to support guaranty associations or indemnity funds that are established to pay claims on behalf of insolvent insurance companies. Some states have similar laws relating to HMOs and other payors, such as consumer operated and oriented plans (co-ops) established under the ACA. In the United States, these associations levy assessments on member insurers licensed in a particular state to pay such claims. Certain states require HMOs to participate in guaranty funds, special risk pools and administrative funds. For additional information about guaranty funds and other assessments, see Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Certain states continue to require health insurers and HMOs to participate in assigned risk plans, joint underwriting authorities, pools or other residual market mechanisms to cover risks not acceptable under normal underwriting standards, although some states have eliminated these requirements as a result of the ACA.

Solvency and Capital Requirements

Many states have adopted some form of the NAIC model solvency-related laws and risk-based capital rules ("RBC rules") for life and health insurance companies. The RBC rules recommend a minimum level of capital depending on the types and quality of investments held, the types of business written and the types of liabilities incurred. If the ratio of the insurer's adjusted surplus to its risk-based capital falls below statutorily required minimums, the insurer could be subject to regulatory actions ranging from increased scrutiny to conservatorship.

In addition, various non-U.S. jurisdictions prescribe minimum surplus requirements that are based upon solvency, liquidity and reserve coverage measures. Our HMOs and life and health insurance subsidiaries, as well as non-U.S. insurance subsidiaries, are compliant with applicable RBC and non-U.S. surplus rules.

The Risk Management and Own Risk and Solvency Assessment Model Act ("ORSA"), adopted by the NAIC, provides requirements and principles for maintaining a group solvency assessment and a risk management framework and reflects a broader approach to U.S. insurance regulation. ORSA includes a requirement to file an annual ORSA Summary Report in the lead state of domicile. To date, an overwhelming majority of the states have adopted the same or similar versions of ORSA. We file our ORSA report annually as required.

Holding Company Laws

Our domestic insurance companies and certain of our HMOs are subject to state laws regulating subsidiaries of insurance holding companies. Under such laws, certain dividends, distributions and other transactions between an insurance company or an HMO subsidiary and its affiliates may require notification to, or approval by, one or more state insurance commissioners. In addition, the holding company acts of states in which our subsidiaries are domiciled restrict the ability of any person to obtain control of an insurance company or HMO subsidiary without prior regulatory approval.

Marketing, Advertising and Products

In most states, our insurance companies and HMO subsidiaries are required to certify compliance with applicable advertising regulations on an annual basis. Our insurance companies and HMO subsidiaries are also required by most states to file and secure regulatory approval of products prior to the marketing, advertising, and sale of such products.

Licensing and Registration Requirements

Certain subsidiaries contract to provide claim administration, utilization management and other related services for the administration of self-insured benefit plans. These subsidiaries may be subject to state third-party administration and other licensing requirements and regulation, as well as third-party accreditation requirements.

We have received full accreditation for Utilization Review Accreditation Commission Pharmacy Benefit Management version 2.2 Standards, which includes quality standards for drug utilization management, and select subsidiaries have received full accreditation for Utilization

Review Accreditation Commission for Health Utilization Management version 7.2, which includes quality standards for medical utilization management.

Certain states have adopted pharmacy benefit management registration and/or disclosure laws. In addition to registration laws, some states have adopted legislation mandating disclosure of various aspects of our financial practices, including those concerning pharmaceutical company revenue, as well as prescribing processes for prescription switching programs and client and provider audit terms.

Our international subsidiaries are often required to be licensed when entering new markets or starting new operations in certain jurisdictions. The licensure requirements for these subsidiaries vary by country and are subject to change.

International Regulations

Our operations outside the United States expose us to laws of multiple jurisdictions and the rules and regulations of various governing bodies and regulators, including those related to financial and other disclosures, corporate governance, privacy, data protection, data mining, data transfer, intellectual property, labor and employment, consumer protection, direct-to-consumer communications activities, tax, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering. Foreign laws and rules may include requirements that are different from, or more stringent than, similar requirements in the United States.

Our operations in countries outside the United States:

are subject to local regulations of the jurisdictions where we operate;

in some cases, are subject to regulations in the jurisdictions where customers reside; and

in all cases, are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA").

In particular, in South Korea where we are selling insurance products directly to individual customers, regulators are focused on protecting the rights of individual customers by enforcing "Treating Customers Fairly" concepts. This regulatory focus results in rigorous data localization requirements, network separation obligations, and system monitoring restrictions, as well as obligations to closely monitor marketing communications and sales scripts. Anti-money laundering requirements in South Korea and other Asian countries where we do business also impose obligations to collect certain information about each customer at time of sale and to risk rank each customer to determine possible future money laundering risk.

The FCPA prohibits offering, promising, providing or authorizing others to give anything of value to a foreign government official or employee to obtain or retain business or otherwise secure a business advantage. Outside of the United States, we may interact with government officials in several different capacities: as regulators of our insurance business; as clients or partners who are state-owned or partially state-owned; as health care professionals who are employed by the government; as hospitals that are state-owned; and as officials issuing permits in connection with real estate transactions. Violations of the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws may result in severe criminal and civil sanctions as well as other penalties, and the SEC and DOJ have increased their enforcement activities with respect to FCPA. The UK Bribery Act of 2010 applies to all companies with a nexus to the United Kingdom. Under this act, any voluntary disclosures of FCPA violations may be shared with United Kingdom authorities, thus potentially exposing companies to liability and potential penalties in multiple jurisdictions.

Miscellaneous

Premiums and fees from CMS represented 16% of our total consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2018 under a number of contracts. We are not dependent on business from one or a few customers. Other than CMS, no one customer accounted for 10% or more of our consolidated revenues in 2018. We are not dependent on business from one or a few brokers or agents. In addition, our insurance businesses are generally not committed to accept a fixed portion of the business submitted by independent brokers and agents, and generally all such business is subject to approval and acceptance.

We had approximately 73,800 employees as of December 31, 2018.

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As a large global health service company operating in a complex industry, we encounter a variety of risks and uncertainties that could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition or the trading price of our securities. You should carefully consider each of the risks and uncertainties discussed below, together with other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including Management's Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect us. The following risk factors have been organized by category for ease of use; however many of the risks may have impacts in more than one category. These categories, therefore, should be viewed as a starting point for understanding the significant risks facing us and not as a limitation on the potential impact of the matters discussed. Risk factors are not necessarily listed in order of importance.

Strategic and Operational Risks

Future performance of our business will depend on our ability to execute our strategic and operational initiatives effectively.

The future performance of our business will depend in large part on our ability to effectively implement and execute our strategic and operational initiatives. Successfully executing on these initiatives depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:

differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors;

develop and introduce new and innovative products or programs, particularly in response to government regulation and the increased focus on consumer-directed products;

grow our commercial product portfolio;

identify and introduce the proper mix or integration of products that will be accepted by the marketplace;

identify products and solutions that focus on improving patient outcomes and assist in controlling costs;

evaluate drugs for efficacy, value and price to assist clients in selecting a cost-effective formulary;

offer cost-effective home delivery pharmacy and specialty services;

leverage purchase volume to deliver discounts to health benefit providers;

attract and retain sufficient numbers of qualified employees;

attract, develop and maintain collaborative relationships with a sufficient number of qualified partners;

attract new and maintain existing customer and client relationships;

transition health care providers from volume-based fee-for-service arrangements to a value-based system;

improve medical cost competitiveness in our targeted markets;

manage our medical, pharmacy, administrative, and other operating costs effectively; and

contract with pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacy providers on favorable terms.

For our strategic initiatives to succeed, we must effectively integrate our operations, including with Express Scripts and other acquired businesses, actively work to ensure consistency throughout the organization, and promote a global mind-set along with a focus on individual customers and clients. If we fail to do so, our business may be unable to grow as planned, or the result of expansion may be unsatisfactory. We will be unable to rapidly respond to competitive, economic and regulatory changes if we do not make important strategic and operational decisions quickly, define our appetite for risk specifically, implement new governance, managerial and organizational processes smoothly and communicate roles and responsibilities clearly. If these initiatives fail or are not executed on effectively, our consolidated financial position and results of operations could be negatively affected.

We operate in a highly competitive, evolving and rapidly changing industry and our failure to adapt could negatively impact our business.

The health service industry continues to be dynamic and rapidly evolving. Any significant shifts in the structure of the industry could alter industry dynamics and adversely affect our ability to attract or retain clients. Industry shifts could result (and have resulted) from, among other things:

a large intra- or inter-industry merger or industry consolidation;

strategic alliances;

new or alternative business models;

continuing consolidation among physicians, hospitals and other health care providers, as well as changes in the organizational structures chosen by physicians, hospitals and health care providers;

new market entrants, including those not traditionally in the health service industry;

the ability of larger employers and clients to contract directly with providers;

technological changes and rapid shifts in the use of technology, such as telemedicine;

the impact or consequences of legislation or regulatory changes;

changes in the United States Postal Service or the consolidation of shipping carriers;

increased drug acquisition cost or unexpected changes to drug pricing trend;

change in the generic drug market or the failure of new generic drugs to come to market;

a general decrease in drug utilization; or

a general increase in utilization under risk-based contracts in the medical benefit management market.

Our failure to anticipate or appropriately adapt to changes in the industry could negatively impact our competitive position and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our failure to compete effectively to differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors and maintain or increase market share could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

We operate in a highly competitive environment and an industry subject to significant market pressures brought about by customer and client needs, legislative and regulatory developments and other market factors. In particular markets, our competitors may have greater, better or more established capabilities, resources, market share, reputation or business relationships, or lower profit margin or financial return expectations. Our clients are well informed and organized and can easily move between our competitors and us. Our Express Scripts client contracts generally have three-year terms. As described in greater detail in the description of our business in Item 1 above (see page 11 of this Form 10-K), one of our key clients in the Health Services segment is the United States Department of Defense. If one or more of our large clients either terminates or does not renew a contract for any reason, including as a result of being acquired, or if the provisions of a contract with a large client are modified, renewed or otherwise changed with terms less favorable to us, our results of operations could be adversely affected and we could experience a negative reaction in the investment community resulting in decreases in the trading price of our securities or other adverse effects.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to compete effectively in our markets, set prices appropriately in highly competitive markets to keep or increase our market share, increase customers as planned, differentiate our business offerings by innovating and delivering products and services that provide enhanced value to our customers, provide quality and satisfactory levels of service, and retain accounts with favorable medical cost experience or more profitable products versus retaining or increasing our customer base in accounts with unfavorable medical cost experience or less profitable products.

We must remain competitive to attract new customers, retain existing customers, and further integrate additional product and service offerings. To succeed in this highly competitive marketplace, it is imperative we maintain a strong reputation. The negative reputational impact of a significant event, including a failure to execute on customer or client contracts or strategic or operational initiatives, or failure to innovate and deliver products and services that demonstrate greater value to our customers, could affect our ability to grow and retain profitable arrangements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We face price competition and other pressures that could compress our margins or result in premiums that are insufficient to cover the cost of services delivered to our customers.

While we compete on the basis of many service and quality-related factors, we expect that price will continue to be a significant basis of competition. Our client contracts are subject to negotiation as clients seek to contain their costs, including by reducing benefits offered. Increasingly, our clients seek to negotiate performance guarantees that require us to pay penalties if the guaranteed performance standard is not met. Clients can easily move between our competitors and us. Our clients are well-informed and typically have knowledgeable consultants that seek competing bids from our competitors before contract renewal. In addition, as brokers and benefit consultants seek to enhance their revenue streams, they look to take on services that we typically provide. Each of these events could negatively impact our financial results.

Further, federal and state regulatory agencies may restrict our ability to implement changes in premium rates. Fiscal or other concerns related to the government-sponsored programs in which we participate, such as Medicare, may cause decreasing reimbursement rates, delays in premium payments or insufficient increases in reimbursement rates. Any limitation on our ability to maintain or increase our premium or reimbursement levels, or a significant loss of customers or clients resulting from our need to increase or maintain premium or reimbursement levels, could adversely affect our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.

Premiums in the Integrated Medical segment are generally set for one-year periods and are priced well in advance of the date on which the contract commences or renews. Our revenue on Medicare policies is based on bids submitted mid-year in the year before the contract year. Although we base the premiums we charge and our Medicare bids on our estimate of future health care costs over the contract period, actual costs may exceed what we estimate in setting premiums. Our health care costs also are affected by external events that we cannot forecast or project and over which we have little or no control, as well as changes in customers' health care utilization patterns and provider billing practices. Our profitability depends, in part, on our ability to accurately predict, price for and effectively manage future health care costs. Relatively small differences between predicted and actual medical costs or utilization rates as a percentage of revenue can result in significant changes in our financial results.

Strong competition within the pharmacy benefit business has also generated greater demand for lower product and service pricing, increased revenue sharing and enhanced product and service offerings. These competitive factors have historically applied pressure on our operating margins and caused many companies, including us, to reduce the prices charged for products and services while sharing with clients a greater portion of the formulary fees and related rebates received from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Our inability to maintain positive trends, or

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 27 failure to identify and implement new ways to mitigate pricing pressures, could negatively impact our ability to attract or retain clients or sell additional services, which could negatively impact our margins and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The reserves we hold for expected medical claims are based on estimates that involve an extensive degree of judgment and are inherently variable. If actual claims exceed our estimates, our operating results could be materially adversely affected, and our ability to take timely corrective actions to contain future costs may be limited.

We maintain and record medical claims reserves on our balance sheet for estimated future payments. Our estimates of health care costs payable are based on a number of factors, including historical claim experience, but this estimation process requires extensive judgment. Considerable variability is inherent in such estimates, and the accuracy of the estimates is highly sensitive to changes in medical claims submission and processing patterns and/or procedures, changes in customer base and product mix, changes in the utilization of medical and/or other covered services, changes in medical cost trends, changes in our medical management practices and the introduction of new benefits and products. If we are not able to accurately and promptly anticipate and detect medical cost trends, our ability to take timely corrective actions to limit future costs and reflect our current benefit cost experience in our pricing process may be limited. Because establishing these reserves is an inherently uncertain process involving estimates of future losses, there can be no certainty that ultimate losses will not exceed existing medical claims reserves.

If we fail to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with physicians, hospitals and other health service providers, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We contract with physicians, hospitals and other health service providers and facilities to provide health services to our customers. Our results of operations are substantially dependent on our ability to contract for these services at competitive prices. In any particular market, physicians, hospitals and health service providers may enter into exclusive arrangements with competitors or simply refuse to contract with us, demand higher payments or take other actions that could result in higher medical costs or less desirable products or services for our customers. In some markets, certain providers, particularly hospitals, physician/hospital organizations and multi-specialty physician groups, may have significant or controlling market positions that could result in a diminished bargaining position for us. If providers refuse to contract with us, use their market position to negotiate more favorable contracts or place us at a competitive disadvantage, our ability to market products or to be profitable in those areas could be materially and adversely affected. Establishing collaborative arrangements with physician groups, specialist groups, independent practice associations, hospitals and health care delivery systems is key to our strategic focus to transition from volume-based fee-for-service arrangements to a value-based health care system. If such collaborative arrangements do not result in the lower medical costs that we project or if we fail to attract health care providers to such arrangements, or are less successful at implementing such arrangements than our competitors, our attractiveness to customers may be reduced and our ability to profitably grow our business may be adversely affected.

Our ability to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with providers may also be negatively impacted by other factors not associated with us, such as changes in Medicare and/or Medicaid reimbursement levels, increasing pressure on revenue and other pressures on health care providers and increasing consolidation activity among hospitals, physician groups and providers. Continuing consolidation among physicians, hospitals and other providers, the emergence of accountable care organizations, vertical integration of providers and other entities, changes in the organizational structures chosen by physicians, hospitals and providers and new market entrants, including those not traditionally in the health care industry, may affect the way providers interact with us and may change the competitive landscape in which we operate. In some instances, these organizations may compete directly with us, potentially affecting the way we price our products and services or cause us to incur increased costs if we change our operations to be more competitive.

Out-of-network providers are not limited by any agreement with us in the amounts they bill. While benefit plans place limits on the amount of charges that will be considered for reimbursement, out-of-network providers have become increasingly sophisticated and aggressive and such limitations can be difficult to enforce. As a result, the outcome of disputes where we do not have a provider contract may cause us to pay higher medical or other benefit costs than we projected.

If we lose our relationship with one or more key pharmaceutical manufacturers, or if the payments made or discounts provided by pharmaceutical manufacturers decline, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We maintain contractual relationships with numerous pharmaceutical manufacturers, which provide us with, among other things:

discounts for drugs we purchase to be dispensed from our home delivery and specialty pharmacies;

discounts, in the form of rebates, for drug utilization;

fees for administering rebate programs, including invoicing, allocating and collecting rebates;

fees for services provided to pharmaceutical manufacturers by our specialty pharmacies; and

access to limited distribution specialty pharmaceuticals by our specialty pharmacies.

Our contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers are typically non-exclusive and terminable on relatively short notice by either party. The consolidation of pharmaceutical manufacturers, the termination or material alteration of our contractual relationships, or our failure to renew such contracts on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, arrangements between payors and pharmaceutical manufacturers have been the subject of debate in federal and state legislatures and various other public and governmental forums. Adoption of new laws, rules or regulations or changes in, or new interpretations of, existing laws, rules or regulations, relating to any of these programs could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

If significant changes occur within the pharmacy provider marketplace, or if other issues arise with respect to our pharmacy networks, including the loss of or adverse change in our relationship with one or more key pharmacy providers, our business and financial results could be impaired.

More than 68,000 retail pharmacies, which represent over 99% of all United States retail pharmacies, participated in one or more of our networks as of December 31, 2018. The ten largest retail pharmacy chains represent approximately 61% of the total number of stores in our largest network. In certain geographic areas of the United States, our networks may be comprised of higher concentrations of one or more large pharmacy chains. Contracts with retail pharmacies are generally non-exclusive and are terminable on relatively short notice by either party. If one or more of the larger pharmacy chains terminates its relationship with us, or is able to renegotiate terms substantially less favorable to us, our customers' access to retail pharmacies and/or our business could be materially adversely affected. The entry of one or more additional large pharmacy chains into the pharmacy benefit management business, the consolidation of existing pharmacy chains or increased leverage or market share by the largest pharmacy providers could increase the likelihood of negative changes in our relationship with such pharmacies. Changes in the overall composition of our pharmacy networks, or reduced pharmacy access under our networks, could have a negative impact on our claims volume and/or our competitiveness in the marketplace, which could cause us to fall short of certain guarantees in our contracts with clients or otherwise impair our business or results of operations.

Changes in drug pricing or industry pricing benchmarks could materially impact our financial performance.

Contracts in the prescription drug industry, including our contracts with retail pharmacy networks and our pharmacy and specialty pharmacy clients, generally use "average wholesale price" or "AWP," which is published by a third party, as a benchmark to establish pricing for prescription drugs. If AWP is no longer published by third parties, we adopt other pricing benchmarks for establishing prices within the industry or future changes in drug prices substantially deviate from our expectations, the short- or long-term impacts may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

As a global company, we face political, legal, operational, regulatory, economic and other risks that present challenges and could negatively affect our multinational operations and/or our long-term growth.

As a global company, our business is increasingly exposed to risks inherent in foreign operations. These risks can vary substantially by market, and include political, legal, operational, regulatory, economic and other risks, including government intervention that we do not face in our U.S. operations. The global nature of our business and operations may present challenges including, but not limited to, those arising from:

geopolitical business conditions and demands, including the June 2016 referendum in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union;

regulation that may discriminate against U.S. companies, favor nationalization or expropriate assets;

price controls or other pricing issues and exchange controls; restrictions that prevent us from transferring funds out of the countries in which we operate; foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations and restrictions on converting currencies from foreign operations into other currencies; uncertainty with respect to the interpretation of tax positions;

reliance on local employees and interpretations of labor laws in foreign jurisdictions;

managing our partner relationships in countries outside of the United States;

providing data protection on a global basis and sufficient levels of technical support in different locations;

the global trend for companies to enact local data residency requirements;

acts of war, terrorism, natural disasters or pandemics in locations where we operate; and

general economic and political conditions.

These factors may increase in significance as we continue to expand globally and operating in new foreign markets may require considerable management time before operations generate any significant revenues and earnings. Any one of these challenges could negatively affect our operations or long-term growth. For example, due to the concentration of our international business in South Korea, the International Markets segment is exposed to potential losses resulting from economic and regulatory changes in that country and the geopolitical climate in the Korean Peninsula, as well as foreign currency movements affecting the South Korean currency, that could have a significant impact on the segment's results and our consolidated financial results.

International operations also require us to devote significant resources to implement controls and systems in new markets to comply with, and to ensure that our vendors and partners comply with, U.S. and foreign laws prohibiting bribery, corruption and money laundering, in addition to other regulations regarding, among other things, our products, direct-to-consumer communications, customer privacy, data protection and data residency. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers or employees, restrictions or outright prohibitions on the conduct of our business and significant reputational harm. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate these risks and manage these challenges. Our failure to comply with laws and regulations governing our conduct outside the United States or to establish constructive relations with non-U.S. regulators could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and long-term growth.

We are dependent on the success of our relationships with third parties for various services and functions.

To improve operating costs, productivity and efficiencies, we contract with third parties for the provision of specific services. Our operations may be adversely affected if a third party fails to satisfy its obligations to us, if the arrangement is terminated in whole or in part or if there is a

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 29 contractual dispute between us and the third party. Even though contracts are intended to provide certain protections, we have limited control over the actions of third parties. For example, noncompliance with any privacy or security laws and regulations, any security breach involving one of our third-party vendors or a dispute between us and a third-party vendor related to our arrangement could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.

Outsourcing also may require us to change our existing operations, adopt new processes for managing these service providers and/or redistribute responsibilities to realize the potential productivity and operational efficiencies. If there are delays or difficulties in changing business processes or our third-party vendors do not perform as expected, we may not realize, or not realize on a timely basis, the anticipated economic and other benefits of these relationships. This could result in substantial costs or regulatory compliance issues, divert management's attention from other strategic activities, negatively affect employee morale or create other operational or financial problems for us. Terminating or transitioning in whole or in part arrangements with key vendors could result in additional costs or penalties, risks of operational delays or potential errors and control issues during the termination or transition phase. We may not be able to find an alternative vendor in a timely manner or on acceptable terms. If there is an interruption in business or loss of access to data resulting from a security breach, termination or transition in services, we may not be able to meet the demands of our customers and, in turn, our business and results of operations could be adversely impacted.

A significant disruption in service within our operations or among our key suppliers or other third parties could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our business is highly dependent upon our ability to perform, in an efficient and uninterrupted fashion, necessary business functions, such as claims processing and payment, internet support and customer call centers, data centers and corporate facilities, processing new and renewal business, maintaining appropriate shipment and storage conditions for prescriptions (such as temperature and protection from contamination) and mail order processing. In some instances, our ability to provide services or products (including processing and dispensing prescriptions) depends on the availability of services and products provided by suppliers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, vendors or shipping carriers. Any failure or disruption of our performance of, or our ability to perform, key business functions, including through unavailability or cyber-attack of our information technology systems or those of third parties, could cause slower response times, decreased levels of service satisfaction and harm to our reputation. In addition, because our information technology and other systems interface with and depend on third-party systems, we could experience service denials if demand for such service exceeds capacity or a third-party system fails or experiences an interruption. Our failure to implement adequate business continuity and disaster recovery strategies could significantly reduce our ability to provide products and services to our customers and clients, which could have material adverse effects on our business and results of operations.

Acquisitions, including our acquisition of Express Scripts, joint ventures and other transactions involve risks and we may not realize the expected benefits because of integration difficulties, underperformance relative to our expectations and other challenges.

As part of our growth strategy, we regularly consider and enter into strategic transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing arrangements and other relationships (collectively referred to as "strategic transactions"). Our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of these strategic transactions is subject to numerous uncertainties and risks, including our ability to integrate operations, resources and systems, including data security systems, in an efficient and effective manner.

The success of the Express Scripts acquisition will depend, in part, on our ability to successfully combine the businesses of Cigna and Express Scripts and realize the anticipated benefits, including synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies, from the combination. This integration is a complex, costly and time-consuming process, which may divert management's attention from ongoing business concerns.

Key risks of the Express Scripts integration include, but are not limited to, retaining existing clients and attracting new clients on profitable terms; maintaining employee morale and retaining key management and other employees; integrating two unique corporate cultures; consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures and realizing operational synergies; integrating information technology, communications programs, financial procedures and operations, and other systems, procedures and policies; coordinating geographically separate organizations; managing tax costs or inefficiencies associated with integrating the operations of the combined company; and necessary modifications to internal financial control standards.

Integration activities may result in additional and unforeseen expenses, and the anticipated benefits of integration, including with respect to Express Scripts, may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected. Delays or issues encountered in the integration process could have a material adverse effect on the revenues, expenses, operating results and financial condition of the combined company.

Strategic transactions could result in increased costs, including facilities and systems consolidation costs and costs to retain key employees, decreases in expected revenues, earnings or cash flows, and goodwill or other intangible asset impairment charges. Additional unanticipated costs may be incurred in the integration of Express Scripts' businesses. Although we expect that the elimination of duplicative costs, as well as the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of those businesses, should allow us to more than offset incremental transaction and merger-related costs over time, this net benefit may not be achieved in the near term, or at all. In addition, the trading price of our securities may decline if, among other things, we are unable to achieve the expected growth in earnings, if our operational cost savings estimates are not realized, or the transaction costs related to the acquisition and integration are greater than expected. The trading price also may decline if we do not achieve the perceived benefits of the acquisition as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by financial or industry analysts.

Further, we may finance strategic transactions by issuing common stock for some or all of the purchase price that could dilute the ownership interests of our shareholders, or by incurring additional debt that could impact our ability to access capital in the future.

In addition, effective internal controls are necessary to provide reliable and accurate financial reports and to mitigate the risk of fraud. The integration of businesses, including Express Scripts, is likely to cause increasing complexity in our systems and internal controls and make them more difficult to manage. Any difficulties in assimilating businesses into our control system could cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information that could negatively impact the trading price of our securities and our access to capital.

Our business depends on our ability to effectively invest in, implement improvements to and properly maintain the uninterrupted operation and data integrity of our information technology and other business systems.

Our business is highly dependent on maintaining effective information systems as well as the integrity and timeliness of the data we use to serve our customers and health care professionals and to operate our business. If our data were found to be inaccurate or unreliable due to fraud or other error, or if we, or any of the third-party service providers we engage, were to fail to maintain information systems and data integrity effectively, we could experience operational disruptions that may impact our clients, customers and health care professionals and hinder our ability to provide services and products, establish appropriate pricing for products and services, retain and attract clients and customers, establish reserves and report financial results timely and accurately and maintain regulatory compliance, among other things.

Our information technology strategy and execution are critical to our continued success. We must continue to invest in long-term solutions that will enable us to anticipate customer needs and expectations, enhance the customer experience, act as a differentiator in the market and protect against cybersecurity risks and threats. Our success is dependent, in large part, on maintaining the effectiveness of existing technology systems and continuing to deliver and enhance technology systems that support our business processes in a cost-efficient and resource-efficient manner. Increasing regulatory and legislative changes will place additional demands on our information technology infrastructure that could have a direct impact on resources available for other projects tied to our strategic initiatives. In addition, recent trends toward greater consumer engagement in health care require new and enhanced technologies, including more sophisticated applications for mobile devices. Connectivity among technologies is becoming increasingly important. We must also develop new systems to meet current market standards and keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology, evolving industry and regulatory standards and customer needs. Failure to do so may present compliance challenges and impede our ability to deliver services in a competitive manner. Further, because system development projects are long-term in nature, they may be more costly than expected to complete and may not deliver the expected benefits upon completion. Our failure to effectively invest in, implement improvements to and properly maintain the uninterrupted operation and data integrity of our information technology and other business systems could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flow.

As a large health service company, we are subject to cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents. If we are unable to prevent or contain the effects of any such attacks, we may suffer exposure to substantial liability, reputational harm, loss of revenue or other damages.

Our business depends on our clients' and customers' willingness to entrust us with their health-related and other sensitive personal information. Computer systems may be vulnerable to physical break-ins, computer viruses or malware, programming errors, attacks by third parties or similar disruptive problems. We have been, and will likely continue to be, the target of computer viruses or other malicious codes, unauthorized access, cyber-attacks or other computer-related penetrations. There have been, and will likely continue to be, large scale cyber-attacks within the health service industry. As we increase the amount of personal information that we store and share digitally, our exposure to data security and related cybersecurity risks increases, including the risk of undetected attacks, damage, loss or unauthorized access or misappropriation of proprietary or personal information, and the cost of attempting to protect against these risks also increases. If disruptions or breaches are not detected quickly, their effect could be compounded. We have implemented security technologies, processes and procedures to protect consumer identity and provide employee awareness training around phishing, malware and other cyber risks; however, there are no assurances that such measures will be effective against all types of breaches.

Cyber-security threats are rapidly evolving and those threats and the means for obtaining access to our proprietary systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Cyber-attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources including third parties, such as external service providers, and the techniques used change frequently or are often not recognized until after they have been launched. Those parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees, customers or other users of our systems to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data or that of our customers. In addition, while we have certain standards for all vendors that provide us services, our vendors, and in turn, their own service providers, may become subject to the same types of security breaches. Finally, our offices may be vulnerable to security incidents or security attacks, acts of vandalism or theft, misplaced or lost data, human error or similar events that could negatively affect our systems and our customers' and clients' data.

The costs to eliminate or address security threats and vulnerabilities before or after a cyber-incident could be significant. Our remediation efforts may not be successful and could result in interruptions, delays, or cessation of service and loss of existing or potential customers.

In addition, breaches of our security measures and the unauthorized dissemination of sensitive personal information or proprietary information or confidential information about us, our customers or other third-parties could expose our customers' private information and our customers to the risk of financial or medical identity theft. Unauthorized dissemination of confidential and proprietary information about our business and strategy also could negatively affect the achievement of our strategic initiatives. Such events could cause us to breach our contractual confidentiality obligations and violate applicable laws. These events would negatively affect our ability to compete, others' trust in us, our reputation, customer base and revenues and expose us to mandatory disclosure (including to the media), litigation and other enforcement proceedings, material fines, penalties and/or remediation costs, and compensatory, special, punitive and statutory damages, consent orders and other adverse actions, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 31

In managing medical practices and operating onsite clinics and other types of medical facilities, we may be subject to additional liability that could result in significant time and expense.

In addition to contracting with physicians and other health care providers for services, we employ physicians, nurses and other health care professionals at onsite low acuity and primary care practices and infusion clinics that we manage and operate for our customers, as well as certain clinics for our employees. We also provide in-home care through health care professionals that we employ, as well as, through third-party contractors. As such, we are subject to liability for negligent acts, omissions, or injuries occurring at one of these clinics or caused by one of our employees. The defense of any actions may result in significant expenses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.

Legal and Compliance Risks

Our business is subject to substantial government regulation, as well as new laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Our business is regulated at the federal, state, local and international levels. The laws and rules governing our business and related interpretations are increasing in number and complexity, are subject to frequent change and can be inconsistent or in conflict with each other.

Noncompliance with applicable regulations by us or our third-party vendors could have material adverse effects on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.

We must identify, assess and respond to new trends in the legislative and regulatory environment, as well as comply with the various existing regulations applicable to our business. From time to time, certain legislative and/or regulatory proposals are made which seek to manage the health care industry, including managing prescription drug cost, regulating drug distribution and managing health records. The trading price of our securities may react to the announcement of such proposals. We are unable to predict whether any such policies or proposals will be enacted, or the specific terms thereof. Certain of these policies or proposals could, if enacted, adversely impact our business and results of operations.

Existing or future laws, rules, regulatory interpretations or judgments could force us to change how we conduct our business, affect the products and services we offer, restrict revenue and enrollment growth, increase our costs, including operating, health care technology and administrative costs, and require enhancements to our compliance infrastructure and internal controls environment. We are required to obtain and maintain insurance and other regulatory approvals to market many of our products, increase prices for certain regulated products and consummate some of our acquisitions and dispositions. Delays in obtaining or failure to obtain or maintain these approvals could reduce our revenue or increase our costs. Existing or future laws and rules could also require or lead us to take other actions such as changing our business practices, and could increase our liability.

Further, failure to effectively implement or adjust our strategic and operational initiatives, such as by reducing operating costs, adjusting premium pricing or benefit design or transforming our business model in response to regulatory changes may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, including, but not limited to, our ability to maintain the value of our goodwill and other intangible assets.

For more information on regulations to which we are subject, see "Business – Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K.

There are various risks associated with participating in government-sponsored programs, such as Medicare, including dependence upon government funding, compliance with government contracts and increased regulatory oversight.

Through our Government business, we contract with CMS and various state governmental agencies to provide managed health care services including Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare-approved prescription drug plans. If we fail to comply with CMS's contractual requirements, including data submission, enrollment and marketing, provider network adequacy, provider directory accuracy, quality measures, claims payment, continuity of care and call center performance, we may be subject to administrative actions, fines or other penalties that could impact our profitability.

Revenues from Medicare programs are dependent, in whole or in part, upon annual funding from the federal government through CMS and/or applicable state or local governments. Funding for these programs is dependent on many factors outside our control including general economic conditions, continuing government efforts to contain health care costs and budgetary constraints at the federal or applicable state or local level and general political issues and priorities. These entities generally have the right to not renew or cancel their contracts with us on short notice without cause or if funds are not available. Unanticipated changes in funding, such as the application of sequestration by the federal or state governments or the failure to provide for continued appropriations or regular ongoing scheduled payments to us, could substantially reduce our revenues and profitability.

The Medicare program has been the subject of regulatory reform initiatives. The premium rates paid to Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D plans are established by contract, although the rates differ depending on a combination of factors, many of which are outside our control. The Star Rating system is subject to change annually by CMS, which may make it more difficult to achieve four stars or greater. A plan's Star Rating affects its image in the market and plans that perform well are able to market more effectively and for longer periods of time than other plans. Our Medicare Advantage plans' and Medicare Part D plans' operating results, premium revenue and benefit offerings are likely to continue to be significantly determined by their Star Ratings. A portion of each Medicare Advantage plan's reimbursement is tied to the plan's Star Rating, with those plans receiving a rating of four or more stars eligible for quality-based bonus payments. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in maintaining or improving our Star Ratings in future years. In addition, audits of our performance for past or future periods may result in downgrades to our Star Ratings. Accordingly, our plans may not be eligible for full level quality bonuses, which could adversely affect the benefits such plans can offer, reduce membership and/or impact our financial performance. See Part II, Item 7 – Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Information – Health Care Industry Developments and Other Matters Affecting our Global Health Care Segment for additional information on our Star Ratings.

On November 1, 2018, CMS released a proposed rule that would revise its Risk Adjustment Data Validation methodology by, among other things, excluding an adjustment for underlying fee-for-service data errors and extrapolating RADV results at the contract level. If adopted in its current form, the rule could have a detrimental impact to all Medicare Advantage insurers and affect the ability of plans to deliver high quality health care for the population served. While it is uncertain that CMS will issue the rule as proposed, if adopted, it could have a material impact on the Company's future results of operations.

Our participation in health insurance exchanges for individuals and small employers involves uncertainties associated with mix and volume of business and could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. The executive order signed in October 2017 that halted payment of the cost sharing reduction subsidies has created additional uncertainty regarding the future of public health insurance exchanges. Risk adjustment balances are subject to audit and adjustment by CMS.

Any failure to comply with various state and federal health care laws and regulations, including those directed at preventing fraud and abuse in government funded programs, could result in investigations or litigation, such as actions under the federal False Claims Act and similar whistleblower statutes under state laws. This could subject us to damage awards, fines, penalties or other enforcement actions, restrictions on our ability to market or enroll new customers, limits on expansion, restrictions or exclusions from programs or other agreements with federal or state governmental agencies, which could adversely impact our business, cash flows, financial condition, results of operations and reputation.

We face risks related to litigation, regulatory audits and investigations.

We are routinely involved in numerous claims, lawsuits, regulatory audits, investigations and other legal matters arising, for the most part, in the ordinary course of business, including that of administering and insuring employee benefit programs. These legal matters could include benefit claims, breach of contract actions, tort claims, claims arising from consumer protection laws, false claims act laws, claims disputes under federal or state laws and disputes regarding reinsurance arrangements, employment and employment discrimination-related suits, antitrust claims, employee benefit claims, wage and hour claims, tax, privacy, intellectual property and whistleblower claims, shareholder suits and other securities law claims and real estate disputes. In addition, we have incurred and likely will continue to incur liability for practices and claims related to our health care business, such as marketing misconduct, failure to timely or appropriately pay for or provide health care, provider network structure, poor outcomes for care delivered or arranged, provider disputes including disputes over compensation or contractual provisions, ERISA claims, allegations related to calculations of cost sharing and claims related to our administration of self-funded business. There are currently, and may be in the future, attempts to bring class action lawsuits against the company and other companies in our industry; individual plaintiffs also may bring multiple claims regarding the same subject matter against us and other companies in our industry.

Court decisions and legislative activity may increase our exposure for any of these types of claims. In some cases, substantial non-economic or punitive damages may be sought. We seek to procure insurance coverage to cover some of these potential liabilities. However, certain potential liabilities may not be covered by insurance, insurers may dispute coverage or the amount of insurance may be insufficient to cover the entire damages awarded. In addition, certain types of damages, such as punitive damages, may not be covered by insurance, and insurance coverage for all or certain forms of liability may become unavailable or prohibitively expensive in the future. It is possible that the resolution of current or future legal matters and claims could result in changes to our industry and business practices, losses material to our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity or damage to our reputation.

We are frequently the subject of regulatory market conduct and other reviews, audits and investigations by state insurance and health and welfare and pharmacy departments, attorneys general, CMS and the OIG and comparable authorities in foreign jurisdictions. With respect to our Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D businesses, CMS and OIG perform audits to determine a health plan's compliance with federal regulations and contractual obligations, including compliance with proper coding practices and fraud and abuse enforcement practices through audits designed to detect and correct improper payments. The Department of Justice is conducting an industry review of the risk adjustment data submission practices and business processes, including review of medical charts, of Cigna and a number of other Medicare Advantage organizations under Medicare Parts C and D. There also continues to be heightened review by federal and state regulators of business and reporting practices within the health service, disability and life insurance industries, including with respect to claims payment and related escheat practices, and increased scrutiny by other state and federal governmental agencies (such as state attorneys general) empowered to bring criminal actions in circumstances that could have previously given rise only to civil or administrative proceedings.

In addition, various governmental agencies have conducted investigations and audits into certain pharmacy benefit management practices. Many of these investigations and audits have resulted in other companies agreeing to civil penalties, including the payment of money and corporate integrity agreements. We cannot predict what effect, if any, such governmental investigations and audits may ultimately have on us or on the industry in general. However, we may experience government scrutiny and audit activity which may result in the payment or offset of prior reimbursements from the government.

Regulatory audits or reviews or actions by other governmental agencies could result in changes to our business practices, retroactive adjustments to certain premiums, significant fines, penalties, civil liabilities, criminal liabilities or other sanctions, including restrictions on our ability to market certain products or engage in business-related activities, that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition and liquidity. In addition, disclosure of an adverse investigation or audit or the imposition of fines or other sanctions could negatively affect our reputation in certain markets and make it more difficult for us to sell our products and services.

A description of material pending legal actions and other legal and regulatory matters is included in Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K. The outcome of litigation and other legal or regulatory matters is always uncertain.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 33

If we fail to comply with applicable privacy, security and data laws, regulations and standards, our business and reputation could be materially and adversely affected.

Most of our activities involve the receipt, use, storage or transmission of a substantial amount of individuals' protected health information and personally identifiable information. We also use aggregated and anonymized data for research and analysis purposes, and in some cases, provide access to such data to pharmaceutical manufacturers and third-party data aggregators and analysts. The collection, maintenance, protection, use, transmission, disclosure and disposal of sensitive personal information are regulated at the federal, state, international and industry levels and requirements are imposed on us by contracts with clients. In some cases, such laws, rules, regulations and contractual requirements also apply to our vendors and require us to obtain written assurances of their compliance with such requirements or may hold us liable for any violations by our vendors. We are also subject to various other consumer protection laws that regulate our communications with customers. Certain of our businesses are also subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which is designed to protect credit card account data as mandated by payment card industry entities. International laws, rules and regulations governing the use and disclosure of such information, such as the GDPR, are generally more stringent than in the United States, and they vary across jurisdictions.

These laws, rules, and contractual requirements are subject to change. Compliance with new privacy, security and data laws, regulations and requirements may result in increased operating costs, and may constrain or require us to alter our business model or operations. For example, the HITECH amendments to HIPAA may further restrict our ability to collect, disclose and use sensitive personal information and may impose additional compliance requirements on our business.

HIPAA requires covered entities to comply with the HIPAA privacy, security and breach rules. In addition, business associates must comply with the HIPAA security and breach requirements. While we provide for appropriate protections through our contracts with our third-party service providers and in certain cases assess their security controls, we have limited oversight or control over their actions and practices. Several of our businesses act as business associates to their covered entity customers and, as a result, collect, use, disclose and maintain sensitive personal information in order to provide services to these customers. HHS has continued its audit program to assess HIPAA compliance efforts by covered entities and has expanded it to include business associates. In addition, HHS has increased its enforcement efforts. These efforts can result in enforcement actions that are the result of investigations brought on by the notification to HHS of a breach. An audit resulting in findings or allegations of noncompliance or the implementation of an enforcement action could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, cash flows and reputation.

Effective prevention, detection and control systems are critical to maintain regulatory compliance and prevent fraud and failure of these systems could adversely affect us.

Federal and state governments have made investigating and prosecuting health care and other insurance fraud and abuse a priority. Fraud and abuse prohibitions encompass a wide range of activities including kickbacks for referral of customers, billing for unnecessary medical services, improper marketing and violations of patient privacy rights. The regulations and contractual requirements applicable to us are complex and subject to change. In addition, ongoing vigorous law enforcement, a highly technical regulatory scheme and the Dodd-Frank Act legislation and related regulations enhance regulators' enforcement powers and whistleblower incentives and protections. Our compliance efforts in this area will continue to require significant resources. Failure of our prevention, detection or control systems related to regulatory compliance or the failure of employees to comply with our internal policies including data systems security or unethical conduct by managers and employees, could adversely affect our reputation and also expose us to litigation and other proceedings, fines and penalties.

In addition, provider or customer fraud that is not prevented or detected could impact our medical costs or those of our self-insured clients. Further, during an economic downturn, we may experience increased fraudulent claims volume that may lead to additional costs due to an increase in disputed claims and litigation.

Economic Risks

Significant stock market or interest rate declines could result in additional unfunded pension obligations resulting in the need for additional plan funding by us and increased pension expenses.

We currently have unfunded obligations in our frozen pension plans. A significant decline in the value of the plans' equity and fixed income investments or unfavorable changes in applicable laws or regulations could materially increase our expenses and change the timing and amount of required plan funding. This could reduce the cash available to us, including our subsidiaries. We are also exposed to interest rate and equity risk associated with our pension and other post-retirement obligations. Sustained declines in interest rates could have an adverse impact on the funded status of our pension plans and our reinvestment yield on new investments. See Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our obligations under the pension plans.

Significant changes in market interest rates affect the value of our financial instruments that promise a fixed return or benefit and the value of particular assets and liabilities.

As an insurer, we have substantial investment assets that support insurance and contractholder deposit liabilities. Generally low levels of interest rates on investments, such as those experienced in U.S. and foreign financial markets during recent years, have negatively impacted our level of investment income earned in recent periods.

A substantial portion of our investment assets are in fixed interest-yielding debt securities of varying maturities, fixed redeemable preferred securities and commercial mortgage loans. The value of these investment assets can fluctuate significantly with changes in market conditions. A rise in interest rates would likely reduce the value of our investment portfolio and increase interest expense if we were to access our available lines of credit.

A downgrade in the financial strength ratings of our insurance subsidiaries could adversely affect new sales and retention of current business, and a downgrade in our debt ratings would increase the cost of borrowed funds and could negatively affect our ability to access capital.

Financial strength, claims paying ability and debt ratings by recognized rating organizations are each important factors in establishing the competitive position of insurance and health benefits companies. Ratings information by nationally recognized ratings agencies is broadly disseminated and generally used throughout the industry. We believe that the claims paying ability and financial strength ratings of our principal insurance subsidiaries are important factors in marketing our products to certain customers. Our debt ratings impact both the cost and availability of future borrowings and, accordingly, our cost of capital. Each of the rating agencies reviews ratings periodically and there can be no assurance that current ratings will be maintained in the future. A downgrade of any of these ratings in the future could make it more difficult to either market our products successfully or raise capital to support business growth within our insurance subsidiaries.

Global market, economic and geopolitical conditions may cause fluctuations in equity market prices, interest rates and credit spreads that could impact our ability to raise or deploy capital and affect our overall liquidity.

If the equity and credit markets experience extreme volatility and disruption, there could be downward pressure on stock prices and restricted access to capital for certain issuers without regard to those issuers' underlying financial strength. Extreme disruption in the credit markets could adversely impact our access to, and cost of, capital in the future.

In the event of adverse economic and industry conditions, we may be required to dedicate a greater percentage of our cash flow from operations to the payment of principal and interest on our debt, thereby reducing the funds we have available for other purposes, such as investments and other expenditures in ongoing businesses, acquisitions, dividends and stock repurchases. In these circumstances, our ability to execute our strategy may be limited, our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in business and market conditions may be reduced, or our access to capital markets may be limited such that additional capital may not be available or may be available only on unfavorable terms.

In connection with the combination with Express Scripts, we have considerably higher levels of indebtedness than Cigna and Express Scripts previously carried, which will result in higher relative debt service costs and less cash flow from operations available to fund growth, stock repurchases and other corporate purposes during our deleveraging process.

The long-term indebtedness of Cigna was approximately $39.5 billion as of December 31, 2018. This level of indebtedness:

requires us to dedicate a greater percentage of our cash flow from operations to debt payments, thereby reducing the availability of cash flow to fund capital expenditures, pursue other acquisitions or investments in new technologies, make stock repurchases, pay dividends and for general corporate purposes;

increases our vulnerability to general adverse economic conditions, including increases in interest rates for our borrowings that bear interest at variable rates and are in a greater amount than floating rate assets held, or if such indebtedness is refinanced at a time when interest rates are higher; and

limits our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in or challenges relating to our business and industry.

The covenants to which we have agreed in connection with the financing, and our indebtedness and higher debt-to-equity ratio in comparison to that of Cigna or Express Scripts on a recent historical basis, may have the effect, among other things, of restricting our financial and operating flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions, creating competitive disadvantages compared to other competitors with lower debt levels during the deleveraging process.

Unfavorable developments in economic conditions may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Many factors, including geopolitical issues, future economic downturns, availability and cost of credit and other capital and consumer spending can negatively impact the U.S. and global economies. Our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by the impact of unfavorable economic conditions on our customers (both employers and individuals), health care providers, pharmacy manufacturers, pharmacy providers and third-party vendors. For example:

Employers may take action to reduce their operating costs by modifying, delaying or canceling plans to purchase our products or making changes in the mix of products purchased that are unfavorable to us.

Higher unemployment rates and workforce reductions could result in lower enrollment in our employer-based plans (including an increase in the number of employees who opt out of employer-based plans) or our individual plans.

Because of unfavorable economic conditions or the ACA, employers may stop offering health care coverage to employees or elect to offer this coverage on a voluntary, employee-funded basis as a means to reduce their operating costs.

Our historical disability claim experience and industry data indicate that submitted disability claims rise under adverse economic conditions.

If clients are not successful in generating sufficient funds or are precluded from securing financing, they may not be able to pay, or may delay payment of, accounts receivable that are owed to us.

Our clients or potential clients may force us to compete more vigorously on factors such as price and service to retain or obtain their business.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 35

Our clients may be acquired, consolidated, or otherwise fail to successfully maintain or grow their business or workforce which could reduce the number of customers we serve or otherwise result in lower than anticipated utilization of our services.

A prolonged unfavorable economic environment could adversely impact the financial position of hospitals and other health care providers, potentially increasing our medical costs as these providers attempt to maintain revenue levels in their efforts to adjust to their own economic challenges.

Our third-party vendors could significantly and quickly increase their prices or reduce their output to reduce their operating costs. Our business depends on our ability to perform necessary business functions in an efficient and uninterrupted fashion.

These factors could lead to a decrease in our customer base, revenues or margins and/or an increase in our operating costs.

In addition, during a prolonged unfavorable economic environment, state and federal budgets could be materially and adversely affected, resulting in reduced or delayed reimbursements or payments in state and federal government programs such as Medicare and Social Security or under contracts with government entities. These state and federal budgetary pressures also could cause the government to impose new or a higher level of taxes or assessments on us, such as premium taxes on insurance companies and HMOs and surcharges or fees on select fee-for-service and capitated medical claims. Although we could attempt to mitigate or cover our exposure from such increased costs through, among other things, increases in premiums, there can be no assurance that we will be able to mitigate or cover all of such costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

We are subject to the credit risk of our reinsurers.

We enter into reinsurance arrangements with other insurance companies, primarily to limit losses from large exposures or to permit recovery of a portion of direct losses. We also may enter into reinsurance arrangements in connection with acquisition or divestiture transactions when the underwriting company is not being acquired or sold.

Under all reinsurance arrangements, reinsurers assume insured losses, subject to certain limitations or exceptions that may include a loss limit. These arrangements also subject us to various obligations, representations and warranties with the reinsurers. Reinsurance does not relieve us of liability as the originating insurer. We remain liable to the underlying policyholders if a reinsurer defaults on obligations under the reinsurance arrangement. Although we regularly evaluate the financial condition of reinsurers to minimize exposure to significant losses from reinsurer insolvencies, reinsurers may become financially unsound. If a reinsurer fails to meet its obligations under the reinsurance contract or if the liabilities exceed any applicable loss limit, we will be forced to cover the claims on the reinsured policies.

The collectability of amounts due from reinsurers is subject to uncertainty arising from a number of factors, including whether the insured losses meet the qualifying conditions of the reinsurance contract, whether reinsurers or their affiliates have the financial capacity and willingness to make payments under the terms of the reinsurance contract and the magnitude and type of collateral supporting our reinsurance recoverable, such as holding sufficient qualifying assets in trusts or letters of credit issued. Although a portion of our reinsurance exposures are secured, the inability to collect a material recovery from a reinsurer could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Our global real estate portfolio consists of approximately 13.3 million square feet of owned and leased properties. Our domestic portfolio has approximately 11.3 million square feet in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our international properties contain approximately 2.0 million square feet located throughout the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

Our principal domestic office locations include the Wilde Building located at 900 Cottage Grove Road in Bloomfield, Connecticut (our corporate headquarters), Two Liberty Place located at 1601 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Express Scripts' corporate offices located at and around One Express Way in St. Louis, Missouri. The Wilde Building measures approximately 893,000 square feet and is owned. Express Scripts' campus measures approximately 1.2 million square feet of leased space and Two Liberty Place measures approximately 322,000 square feet and is leased space.

The home delivery pharmacy operations of Express Scripts consist of five non-dispensing order processing pharmacies, five patient contact centers and four high-volume automated mail order dispensing pharmacies located throughout the United States. Express Scripts' mail order dispensing pharmacies are located in Arizona, Indiana, Missouri and New Jersey. Express Scripts also has seven specialty home delivery pharmacies and 20 specialty branch pharmacies.

We believe our properties are adequate and suitable for our business as presently conducted. The foregoing does not include information on investment properties.

The information contained under "Litigation Matters" and "Regulatory Matters" in Note 19 to our Financial Statements beginning on page 115 of this Form 10-K, is incorporated herein by reference.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 37

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

All officers are elected to serve for a one-year term or until their successors are elected. Principal occupations and employment during the past five years are listed below.

LISA R. BACUS, 54, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Cigna beginning May 2013 and Chief Customer Officer beginning February 2017; Executive Vice President and Chief Marketer at American Family Insurance from February 2008 until May 2013.

MARK L. BOXER, 59, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Cigna beginning April 2011; Deputy Chief Information Officer, Xerox Corporation; and Group President, Government Health Care, for Xerox Corporation/Affiliated Computer Services from March 2009 until April 2011.

DAVID M. CORDANI, 53, Chief Executive Officer of Cigna beginning December 2009; Director since October 2009; President beginning June 2008; and Chief Operating Officer from June 2008 until December 2009.

BRIAN C. EVANKO, 42, President, Government Business beginning November 2017; President, U.S. Individual Business from August 2013 to November 2017; Business Financial Officer, Cigna Global Individual, Health, Life and Accident from September 2012 to August 2013; Chief Actuary, Cigna Global Individual, Health, Life and Accident from December 2008 to September 2012.

NICOLE S. JONES, 48, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Cigna beginning June 2011; Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Lincoln Financial Group from May 2010 until June 2011; Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Cigna from April 2008 until May 2010; and Corporate Secretary of Cigna from September 2006 until April 2010.

MATTHEW G. MANDERS, 57, President, Strategy and Solutions beginning November 2018; President, Government & Individual Programs and Group Insurance from February 2017 through November 2017; President, U.S. Markets from June 2014 until February 2017; President, Regional and Operations from November 2011 until June 2014; President, U.S. Service, Clinical and Specialty from January 2010 until November 2011; and President, Cigna HealthCare, Total Health, Productivity, Network & Middle Market from June 2009 until January 2010.

STEVEN B. MILLER, 61, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer beginning December 2018; Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Express Scripts from October 2007 through December 2018.

JOHN M. MURABITO, 60, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Services of Cigna beginning August 2003.

ERIC P. PALMER, 42, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer beginning June 2017; Deputy Chief Financial Officer from February 2017 until June 2017; Senior Vice President, Chief Business Financial Officer from November 2015 to February 2017; Vice President, Business Financial Officer, Health Care from April 2012 to November 2015; and Vice President, Business Financial Officer, U.S. Commercial Markets from June 2010 to April 2012.

JASON D. SADLER, 50, President, International Markets beginning June 2014; President, Global Individual Health, Life and Accident from July 2010 until June 2014; and Managing Director Insurance Business Hong Kong, HSBC Insurance Asia Limited from January 2007 until July 2010.

MICHAEL W. TRIPLETT, 57, President, U.S. Markets beginning February 2017; Regional Segment Lead from June 2009 to February 2017.

TIMOTHY C. WENTWORTH, 58, President, Health Services beginning December 2018; Chief Executive Officer of Express Scripts from May 2016 until December 2018; President from February 2014 through December 2018; and Senior Vice President and President, Sales and Account Management from April 2012 until February 2014.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A") is intended to provide information to assist you in better understanding and evaluating our financial condition and results of operations. We encourage you to read this MD&A in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K") and the "Risk Factors" contained in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

Unless otherwise indicated, financial information in the MD&A is presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the Company's significant accounting policies. In some of our financial tables in this MD&A, we present either percentage changes or "N/M" when those changes are so large as to become not meaningful. Changes in percentages are expressed in basis points ("bps").

In this MD&A, our consolidated measures "adjusted income from operations," earnings per share on that same basis, and "adjusted revenues" are not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as substitutes for the most directly comparable GAAP measures "shareholders' net income," "earnings per share" and "total revenues." As discussed in Note 21, we also use pre-tax adjusted income from operations and adjusted revenues to measure the results of our segments.

We use adjusted income from operations as our principal financial measure of operating performance because management believes it best reflects the underlying results of our business operations and permits analysis of trends in underlying revenue, expenses and profitability. We define adjusted income from operations as shareholders' net income (or income before taxes for the segment metric) excluding realized investment gains and losses, amortization of acquired intangible assets, results of Anthem, Inc. and Coventry Health Care Inc. ("Coventry") (collectively, the "transitioning clients") (see the "Key Transactions and Developments" section of the MD&A for further discussion of transitioning clients) and special items. Beginning in 2018, Cigna's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported using the equity method of accounting are also excluded. Income or expense amounts excluded from adjusted income from operations because they are not indicative of underlying performance or the responsibility of operating segment management include:

Realized investment gains (losses), including changes in market values of certain financial instruments between balance sheet dates, as well as gains and losses associated with invested asset sales.

Amortization of acquired intangible assets, because these relate to costs incurred for acquisitions.

Results of transitioning clients, because those results are not indicative of ongoing results.

Special items, if any, that management believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to the nature or size of these matters. See Note 21 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for descriptions of special items.

Adjusted revenues is defined as total revenues excluding the following adjustments: revenue contributions from transitioning clients, special items and, beginning in 2018, Cigna's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported using the equity method of accounting.

Executive Overview

Cigna Corporation, together with its subsidiaries (either individually or collectively referred to as "Cigna," the "Company," "we," "our" or "us") is a global health service organization dedicated to a mission of helping those we serve improve their health, well-being and peace of mind. Our evolved strategy in support of our mission is Go Deeper, Go Local, Go Beyond using a differentiated set of medical, pharmacy, dental, disability, life and accident insurance and related products and services offered by our subsidiaries. For further information on our business and strategy, see Item 1, "Business" in this Form 10-K.

As described more fully in Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements, on March 8, 2018, we entered into a merger agreement with Express Scripts Holding Company ("Express Scripts"). Following entry into the merger agreement and throughout the pendency of the transaction, Cigna and Express Scripts designed integration plans to implement a new management and business reporting structure for the combined company upon closing. On December 20, 2018, we completed the acquisition of Express Scripts and, our segments have changed effective in the fourth quarter of 2018. See Note 1 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of our segments. Prior year financial information has been restated to reflect this new segment presentation. Additionally, as described further in Note 2 to the

Consolidated Financial Statements, we adopted Article 5 of Regulation S-X issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission effective December 31, 2018. Results of 2018 include 11 days of Express Scripts activity beginning December 21.

Financial Summary

Summarized below are certain key measures of our performance for the years ended December 31:

(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)

(1)

For additional information related to net investment income included in transaction-related costs, please refer to Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-K.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 43

Consolidated Results of Operations (GAAP Basis)

Financial Summary

(in millions)

Reconciliation of Shareholders' Net Income (GAAP) to Adjusted Income from Operations (non-GAAP):

(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)

​ 44 CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K ​ ​

Earnings and Revenue Commentary

Shareholders' net income increased in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily driven by a lower effective tax rate. Income before income taxes was essentially flat, reflecting higher adjusted income from operations, largely offset by reduced realized investment results and higher special item charges due to transaction costs associated with the Express Scripts acquisition. In 2017, the increase in shareholders' net income as compared to 2016 was due to higher adjusted income from operations, with special item charges for debt extinguishment costs and charges resulting from U.S. Tax reform partially offsetting the increase.

Adjusted income from operations increased in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily due to earnings growth across all of our segments, including contributions from the acquired Express Scripts business and the lower effective tax rate in 2018. In 2017, the increase in adjusted income from operations compared with 2016 was due to earnings growth across all of our segments.

Medical customers increased in both 2018 and 2017, compared with each prior year primarily resulting from growth in the Commercial and Government segments. See the Integrated Medical segment section for additional discussion.

Revenues increased in both 2018 and 2017, primarily due to business growth in the Integrated Medical and International Markets segments. In 2018, revenues from the acquired Express Scripts business of $2.6 billion also contributed to the increase. Detailed revenue items are discussed further below.

Premiums increased in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily reflecting customer growth in Integrated Medical including contributions from specialty products as well as growth in International Markets. Also contributing to the increase were higher premium rates in our Integrated Medical segment driven by: 1) underlying medical trend; 2) suspension of the government's cost share reduction subsidies; and 3) resumption of the health insurance industry tax. The increase in 2017 compared with 2016 primarily resulted from customer growth in the Commercial segment and in International Markets, partially offset by decreases in Government segment premiums due to Medicare disenrollment.

Pharmacy revenues increased in 2018 compared with 2017 primarily resulting from contributions from the acquired Express Scripts business. See the Health Services section of this MD&A for further discussion of pharmacy revenues and costs.

Fees and other revenues. The increases in both 2018 and 2017 compared with each prior year were primarily attributable to growth in our specialty businesses and an increased customer base for our administrative services only ("ASO") business. In 2018, contributions from the acquired Express Scripts business also contributed to the increase.

Net investment income was higher in 2018 compared with 2017, reflecting growth in average assets and higher yields, largely driven by increased partnership income. Net investment income in 2018 also included $123 million earned from proceeds on the debt issued in September 2018 that is reported as a special item. Those debt proceeds were used to finance the Express Scripts acquisition on December 20, 2018. In 2017, net investment income increased compared with 2016, driven by growth in average invested assets, partially offset by lower yields.

Commentary on Other Components of Consolidated Results of Operations

Medical costs and other benefit expenses increased in both 2018 and 2017, compared with the prior year, reflecting customer growth in Integrated Medical and International Markets, as well as medical cost inflation in Integrated Medical.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased in 2018 compared with 2017, driven by higher transaction-related costs associated with the acquisition of Express Scripts, resumption of the health insurance industry tax and volume-based expenses reflecting business growth. In 2017, the increase in selling, general and administrative expenses compared with 2016 reflected a long-term care guaranty fund assessment and higher volume-based expenses reflecting business growth. These increases were offset by suspension of the health insurance industry tax in 2017 and a reduction in costs related to our Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") audit response.

Amortization of acquired intangible assets increased in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily reflecting the impact of the acquired Express Scripts business. The decrease in 2017 compared with 2016 was driven by the expected continuing decline in amortization from our 2012 acquisition of HealthSpring, Inc.

Interest expense and other increased significantly in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily due to $227 million of interest incurred on debt issued in the third quarter of 2018 prior to the acquisition of Express Scripts. This amount is included in the overall special item for transaction-related costs, net of $123 million of investment income earned on the debt proceeds through the closing date of the transaction.

Realized investment results declined significantly in 2018 compared with 2017, resulting from lower gains on sales of alternative, partnership and fixed maturity investments as well as mark-to-market losses on equity securities reported in net income as required by Accounting Standards Update 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Liabilities, beginning in 2018 (see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). In 2017, realized investment results increased compared with 2016, primarily due to higher gains on sales of alternative and real estate investments, as well as lower impairment losses.

The consolidated effective tax rate decreased in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily due to a lower U.S. tax rate in 2018, partially offset by resumption of the non-deductible health insurance industry tax and the absence of the incremental tax benefit recognized in the second quarter of 2017 for certain transaction costs associated with the terminated merger with Anthem. In 2017, the effective tax rate was flat compared with 2016. The unfavorable impact of additional tax expense associated with the U.S. tax reform legislation enacted in 2017 was offset by favorable effects of a suspension of the health insurance industry tax in 2017 and an incremental tax benefit from previously non-deductible transaction-related costs. See Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 45

Key Transactions and Developments

Acquisition of Express Scripts

As discussed in more detail in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, Cigna acquired Express Scripts on December 20, 2018 in a cash and stock transaction valued at $52.8 billion. See the "Liquidity" section of this MD&A for further discussion of the financing of this transaction.

We incurred a significant amount of costs related to this acquisition, both before and after closing. These costs are being reported in "transaction-related costs" as a special item and excluded from adjusted income from operations. The results of Express Scripts are included in Cigna's consolidated financial information from the date of the acquisition.

On January 30, 2019, Anthem exercised its early termination right and terminated the pharmacy benefit management services agreement with us, effective March 1, 2019. There is a twelve-month transition period ending March 1, 2020. It is expected that the transition of Anthem's customers will occur at various dates, as informed by Anthem's technology platform migration schedule. Over the next twelve months, we will focus on an effective transition of this relationship and related services over Anthem's accelerated timeline. We exclude the results of Express Scripts' contract with Anthem (and also Coventry) from our non-GAAP reporting metric "adjusted income from operations." We refer to this adjustment as "transitioning clients."

U.S. Tax Reform Legislation

Major U.S. tax reform legislation was signed into law on December 22, 2017. The legislation reduced the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018, among other things. See Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of the impacts of this legislation on our results of operations.

Health Care Industry Developments and Other Matters Affecting Our Integrated Medical and Health Services Segments

The "Regulation" section of this Form 10-K provides a detailed description of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provisions and other legislative initiatives that impact our health care business, including regulations issued by CMS and the Departments of the Treasury and Health and Human Services ("HHS"). The table presented below provides an update of the impact of these items and other matters affecting our Integrated Medical and Health Services segments as of December 31, 2018.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 47

Risk Mitigation Programs

In 2016, we recorded an allowance for the balance of our risk corridor receivable based on court decisions and the large program deficit. During 2018, the U.S. Federal Circuit court ruled that health insurers are not entitled to receive amounts due under the risk corridor program that have been withheld by Congress. The plaintiffs have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review this unfavorable decision. As of December 31, 2018, we continue to carry this allowance of $109 million based on the current status of court decisions.

Risk adjustment balances are subject to audit and adjustment by CMS following each program year. In February 2018, a federal judge issued a decision invalidating the use of statewide average premium for risk adjustment purposes. In response, in July 2018, CMS issued a final rule clarifying the 2017 program methodology and addressing issues raised in the ruling by the federal judge. This rule clears the way for CMS to resume risk adjustment collections and payments for the 2017 program year. Despite this final rule, resolution of the legal matter remains uncertain. As of December 31, 2018, our financial statements reflect the risk adjustment balances for the 2018 and 2017 plan years under the rules currently in effect for the program.

The following table presents our balances associated with the risk adjustment program as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.

(In millions)

(1)

Receivables, net of allowances, are reported in accounts receivable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

(2)

Payables are reported in accrued expenses and other liabilities (current) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

After-tax charges for the risk adjustment program were $116 million in 2018 and $105 million in 2017, compared with after-tax benefits of $25 million in 2016.

Liquidity And Capital Resources

Liquidity

We maintain liquidity at two levels: the subsidiary level and the parent company level.

Liquidity requirements at the subsidiary level generally consist of:

medical costs, pharmacy and other benefit payments;

expense requirements, primarily for employee compensation and benefits, information technology and facilities costs; and

income taxes.

Our subsidiaries normally meet their operating requirements by:

maintaining appropriate levels of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments;

using cash flows from operating activities;

matching investment durations to those estimated for the related insurance and contractholder liabilities;

selling investments; and

borrowing from affiliates, subject to applicable regulatory limits.

Liquidity requirements at the parent company level generally consist of:

debt service and dividend payments to shareholders;

lending to subsidiaries as needed; and

pension plan funding.

The parent company normally meets its liquidity requirements by:

maintaining appropriate levels of cash and various types of marketable investments;

collecting dividends from its subsidiaries;

using proceeds from issuance of debt and common stock; and

borrowing from its subsidiaries, subject to applicable regulatory limits.

Dividends from our insurance, Health Maintenance Organization ("HMO") and foreign subsidiaries are subject to regulatory restrictions. See Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion of these restrictions. Because most of Express Scripts' subsidiaries are not subject to regulatory restrictions on paying dividends, acquiring Express Scripts provides significantly increased financial flexibility to Cigna.

Cash flows for the years ended December 31, were as follows:

(In millions)

Operating activities

Cash flows from operating activities consist principally of cash receipts and disbursements for premiums, fees, pharmacy revenues and costs, investment income, taxes, benefit costs and other expenses.

Cash flows from operating activities decreased in 2018 compared with 2017 primarily driven by the timing of settlement of pharmacy payables, partially offset by higher net income.

Cash flows from operating activities increased slightly in 2017 compared with 2016 primarily driven by higher net income, partially offset by lower receipts from Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage programs and a voluntary pension contribution of $150 million in 2017.

Investing and Financing activities

Our most significant investing and financing activities of 2018 related to acquiring Express Scripts. See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the acquisition. Cigna financed a portion of the acquisition in cash, primarily with debt financing as shown above and described more fully in Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, with the remaining required cash coming from cash on hand. In 2018, Cigna also acquired OnePath Life for approximately $480 million, largely with cash held in our foreign operations.

Net investment purchases increased in 2018 compared with 2017, largely due to reinvesting our cash flows into fixed income investments. The decrease in net investment purchases in 2017 compared with 2016 primarily reflects higher cash used for share repurchases in 2017.

Stock repurchases declined in 2018 compared with 2017 as Cigna suspended stock repurchase activity to provide liquidity for the Express Scripts acquisition. Stock repurchase activity was significantly higher in 2017 than 2016, as stock repurchase activity was suspended for much of 2016 during the pendency of the Anthem transaction.

We maintain a share repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors. Under this program, we may repurchase shares from time to time, depending on market conditions and alternate uses of capital. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions and alternate uses of capital. The share repurchase program may be effected through open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions in compliance with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including through Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time.

In 2018, we repurchased 1.6 million shares for approximately $330 million. From January 1, 2019 through February 27, 2019 we repurchased 1.9 million shares for approximately $356 million. The remaining share repurchase authority as of February 27, 2019 was $590 million. We repurchased 15.7 million shares for $2.8 billion in 2017 and 0.8 million shares for $110 million in 2016.

Capital Resources

Our capital resources (primarily cash flows from operating activities and proceeds from the issuance of debt and equity securities) provide protection for policyholders, furnish the financial strength to underwrite insurance risks and facilitate continued business growth.

Our acquisition of Express Scripts increased our debt and shareholders' equity in 2018 as follows:

Stock. Express Scripts shareholders received 0.2434 of a share of common stock of Cigna for every one share of Express Scripts. Cigna issued 137.6 million additional shares to Express Scripts shareholders.

Debt. See Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further description of the debt issued to finance the acquisition.

Assumption of Express Scripts Senior Notes. See Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further description of the notes assumed in the acquisition of Express Scripts.

At December 31, 2018, our debt-to-capitalization ratio was 50.9%. We expect to deleverage to the upper 30s within 18 to 24 months by using cash flows from operating activities.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 49

Cigna entered into a new Revolving Credit Agreement and Term Loan Credit Agreement in financing the Express Scripts acquisition. A select number of subsidiaries guarantee Cigna obligations under the Revolving Credit Agreement and the Term Loan Credit Agreement. See Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on these guarantees, as well as information on our Revolving Credit Agreement and the Term Loan Credit Agreement. Cigna had $22 million of letters of credit outstanding as of December 31, 2018.

Management, guided by regulatory requirements and rating agency capital guidelines, determines the amount of capital resources that we maintain. Management allocates resources to new long-term business commitments when returns, considering the risks, look promising and when the resources available to support existing business are adequate.

We prioritize our use of capital resources to:

provide the capital necessary to support growth and maintain or improve the financial strength ratings of subsidiaries and to fund pension obligations;

consider acquisitions that are strategically and economically advantageous; and

return capital to investors primarily through share repurchases.

We continue to maintain a capital management strategy to retain overseas a significant portion of the earnings from our foreign operations. These undistributed earnings are deployed outside of the United States predominantly in support of the liquidity and regulatory capital requirements of our foreign operations as well as to support growth initiatives overseas. This strategy does not materially limit our ability to meet our liquidity and capital needs in the United States.

Liquidity and Capital Resources Outlook

At December 31, 2018, there was approximately $4.2 billion in cash and short-term investments, $1.2 billion of which was held by the parent or subsidiaries with no regulatory or other restrictions on transferring cash to the parent via dividend or loan. In 2019, we expect to generate an additional $6.2 billion of capital available for deployment, including $2.1 billion of dividends that our regulated insurance companies may pay without prior regulatory approval. The parent company's cash obligations in 2019 are expected to approximate $3.2 billion primarily for repayment of debt, interest and anticipated dividends. We expect to re-issue the $1.5 billion commercial paper borrowing upon its maturity.

We expect to have sufficient liquidity to meet the obligations discussed above, based on the cash currently available to the parent and current projections for subsidiary dividends and cash flows from the newly acquired Express Scripts operations. In addition, we actively monitor our debt obligations and engage in issuance or redemption activities as needed in accordance with our capital management strategy.

Our cash projections may not be realized and the demand for funds could exceed available cash if our ongoing businesses experience unexpected shortfalls in earnings, or we experience material adverse effects from one or more risks or uncertainties described more fully in the Risk Factors section of this Form 10-K. In those cases, we expect to have the flexibility to satisfy liquidity needs through a variety of measures, including intercompany borrowings. The parent company can borrow an additional $650 million from its insurance subsidiaries without additional state approval. We have additional liquidity available through short-term commercial paper borrowing capacity and the $3.25 billion revolving credit agreement discussed in Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

As of December 31, 2018, our unfunded pension liability was $590 million, reflecting a decrease of $98 million from December 31, 2017, primarily attributable to an increase in discount rates of approximately 75 basis points. Contributions required in 2019 under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 are immaterial. See Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our pension plans.

Though we believe we have adequate sources of liquidity, significant disruption or volatility in the capital and credit markets could affect our ability to access those markets for additional borrowings or increase costs associated with borrowing funds.

Guarantees and Contractual Obligations

We are contingently liable for various contractual obligations entered into in the ordinary course of business. See the "Liquidity and Capital Resources" section of this MD&A beginning on page 48 for additional background on how we manage our liquidity requirements related to these obligations. The maturities of our primary contractual cash obligations as of December 31, 2018 are estimated to be as follows:

(In millions, on an undiscounted basis)

​ 50 CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K ​ ​

On balance sheet:

Insurance liabilities. Excluded from the table above are $4 billion of insurance liabilities ($3 billion in contractholder deposit funds; $1 billion in future policy benefits) associated with the sold retirement benefits and individual life insurance and annuity businesses, as well as the reinsured workers' compensation, personal accident and supplemental benefits businesses as their related net cash flows are not expected to impact our cash flows. Excluding these amounts, the sum of the obligations presented above exceeds the corresponding insurance and contractholder liabilities of $22 billion recorded on the balance sheet because some of the recorded insurance liabilities reflect discounting for interest and the recorded contractholder liabilities exclude future interest crediting, charges and fees. The timing and amount of actual future cash flows may differ from those presented above.

Contractholder deposit funds: see Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for our accounting policy for this liability. Expected future cash flows presented above also include estimated future interest crediting on current fund balances based on current investment yields less the estimated cost of insurance charges and mortality and administrative fees for universal life policies.

Future policy benefits and unpaid claims and claim expenses: see Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for our accounting policies for these liabilities. Expected future cash flows for these liabilities presented in the table above are undiscounted. The expected future cash flows for guaranteed minimum death benefit ("GMDB," reported in future policy benefits) do not consider any of the related reinsurance arrangements.

Long-term debt includes scheduled interest payments. Capital leases are included in long-term debt and primarily represent obligations for information technology network storage, servers and equipment.

Other non-current liabilities include estimated payments for guaranteed minimum income benefit ("GMIB") contracts (without considering any related reinsurance arrangements), pension and other postretirement and postemployment benefit obligations, supplemental and deferred compensation plans, interest rate and foreign currency swap contracts, and reinsurance liabilities. Estimated payments of $78 million for deferred compensation, non-qualified and international pension plans and other postretirement and postemployment benefit plans are expected to be paid in less than one year and are included in the table above. We expect to make immaterial contributions to the qualified domestic pension plans during 2019 and they are reflected in the above table. We expect to make payments subsequent to 2019 for these obligations; however, subsequent payments have been excluded from the table as their timing is based on plan assumptions that may materially differ from actual activities. See Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on pension and other postretirement benefit obligations.

The liability for uncertain tax positions that could result in future payments was $928 million as of December 31, 2018. This amount has been excluded from the table above because we are not able to provide a reasonably reliable estimate of the timing of such future tax payments. See Note 18 for additional information on uncertain tax positions.

Off-Balance Sheet:

Purchase obligations. As of December 31, 2018, purchase obligations consisted of estimated payments required under contractual arrangements for future services and investment commitments as follows:

(In millions)

See Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Our estimated future service commitments primarily represent contracts for certain outsourced business processes and information technology maintenance and support. We generally have the ability to terminate these agreements, but do not anticipate doing so at this time. Purchase obligations exclude contracts that are cancelable without penalty and those that do not contractually require minimum levels of goods or services to be purchased.

Operating leases. For additional information, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Guarantees

We are contingently liable for various financial and other guarantees provided in the ordinary course of business. See Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on guarantees.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 51

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and related disclosures in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Management considers an accounting estimate to be critical if:

it requires assumptions to be made that were uncertain at the time the estimate was made; and

changes in the estimate or different estimates that could have been selected could have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

Management has discussed how critical accounting estimates are developed and selected with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors and the Audit Committee has reviewed the disclosures presented below.

In addition to the estimates presented in the following table, there are other accounting estimates used in preparing our Consolidated Financial Statements, including estimates of liabilities for future policy benefits, as well as estimates with respect to postemployment and postretirement benefits other than pensions, certain compensation accruals, and income taxes.

Management believes the current assumptions used to estimate amounts reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements are appropriate. However, if actual experience differs from the assumptions used in estimating amounts reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements, the resulting changes could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations and, in certain situations, could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and financial condition. The table below presents the adverse impacts of certain possible changes in assumptions. The effect of assumption changes in the opposite direction would be a positive impact to our consolidated results of operations, liquidity or financial condition, except for assessing impairment of goodwill and fixed maturities carried at a fair value below cost. The tax rate used to calculate the after-tax impact of assumption changes is based on the new corporate income tax rate discussed in the "Key Developments" section of this MD&A.

See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on significant accounting policies.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 53

The information contained under the caption "Market Risk" in the MD&A section of this Form 10-K is incorporated by reference.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors

and Shareholders of Cigna Corporation

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Cigna Corporation and its subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in total equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the "consolidated financial statements"). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018 based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Basis for Opinions

The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company's consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

As described in Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting, management has excluded Express Scripts Holding Company ("legacy Express Scripts") from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018 because it was acquired by the Company in a purchase business combination during 2018. We have also excluded legacy Express Scripts from our audit of internal control over financial reporting. Legacy Express Scripts is a wholly-owned subsidiary whose total assets and total revenues excluded from management's assessment and our audit of internal control over financial reporting represent 10% and 5%, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Hartford, Connecticut February 28, 2019

We have served as the Company's auditor since 1983.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 65

Cigna Corporation Consolidated Statements of Income

(In millions, except per share amounts)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

Cigna Corporation Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(In millions)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 67

Cigna Corporation Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In millions, except per share amounts)

(1)

Par value per share, $0.01 in 2018 and $0.25 in 2017; shares issued, 381 million in 2018 and 296 million in 2017; authorized shares, 600 million in 2018 and 2017.

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

Cigna Corporation Consolidated Statements of Changes in Total Equity

(In millions, except per share amounts)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 69

Cigna Corporation Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In millions)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 71

Note 1 Description of Business

Cigna Corporation, together with its subsidiaries (either individually or collectively referred to as "Cigna," the "Company," "we," "our" or "us" is a global health service organization dedicated to a mission of helping those we serve improve their health, well-being and peace of mind. Our evolved strategy in support of our mission is Go Deeper, Go Local, Go Beyond using a differentiated set of medical, pharmacy, dental, disability, life and accident insurance and related products and services offered by our subsidiaries.

The majority of these products are offered through employers and other groups such as governmental and non-governmental organizations, unions and associations. Cigna also offers commercial health and dental insurance, Medicare and Medicaid products and health, life and accident insurance coverages to individuals in the United States and selected international markets. In addition to these ongoing operations, Cigna also has certain run-off operations.

As described more fully in Note 3, on March 8, 2018, the Company entered into a merger agreement with Express Scripts Holding Company ("Express Scripts"). Following entry into the merger agreement and throughout the pendency of the transaction, Cigna and Express Scripts designed integration plans to implement a new management and business reporting structure for the combined company immediately upon closing. On December 20, 2018, Cigna completed the acquisition of Express Scripts. As a result, our segments have changed as described below, effective in the fourth quarter of 2018. Financial data for all prior periods presented was restated to reflect this new segment presentation.

Integrated Medical offers a variety of medical solutions to employers and individuals.

The Commercial operating segment serves employers (also referred to as "clients") and their employees (also referred to as "customers") and other groups. This segment provides deeply integrated medical and specialty offerings including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health and vision, health advocacy programs and other products and services to insured and self-insured clients.

The Government operating segment offers Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and Medicare Part D plans to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries as well as Medicaid plans. This operating segment also offers health insurance coverage to individual customers both on and off the public exchanges. This segment includes the acquired Express Scripts' Medicare Part D business.

Health Services includes pharmacy benefits management ("PBM"), pharmacy home delivery, and certain medical management services. This segment includes Express Scripts' business from the date of acquisition with the exception of Express Scripts' Medicare Part D business that is reported in the Government operating segment.

International Markets includes supplemental health, life and accident insurance products and health care coverage in our international markets as well as health care benefits to globally mobile employees of multinational organizations.

The remainder of our business operations are reported in Group Disability and Other, consisting of the following:

Group Disability and Life provides group long-term and short-term disability, group life, accident, voluntary and specialty insurance products and related services.

Corporate-Owned Life Insurance ("COLI") offers permanent insurance contracts sold to corporations to provide coverage on the lives of certain employees for the purpose of financing employer-paid future benefit obligations.

Run-off businesses:

Reinsurance: predominantly comprised of guaranteed minimum death benefit ("GMDB") and guaranteed minimum income benefit ("GMIB") business effectively exited through reinsurance with Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company of Nebraska ("Berkshire") in 2013.

Settlement Annuity business in run-off.

Individual Life Insurance and Annuity and Retirement Benefits Businesses: deferred gains from the sales of these businesses.

Certain international run-off businesses

Corporate reflects amounts not allocated to operating segments, including interest expense, net investment income on investments not supporting segment and other operations, interest on uncertain tax positions, certain litigation matters, compensation cost for stock options and related excess tax benefits, expense associated with our frozen pension plans, severance, certain overhead and project costs and intersegment eliminations for products and services sold between segments.

Note 2 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Cigna Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries. Intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. These Consolidated Financial Statements were prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). The Company adopted Article 5 of Regulation S-X issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission effective December 31, 2018 in conjunction with the acquisition of Express Scripts. As a result, the Company now presents current assets and liabilities on its balance sheet. The Company reclassified realized investment gains (losses) from revenue and now reports them below income from operations with interest expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income, in conformity with Article 5. Prior years' information was reclassified to conform to this new presentation.

Amounts recorded in the Consolidated Financial Statements necessarily reflect management's estimates and assumptions about medical costs, investment valuation, interest rates and other factors. Significant estimates are discussed throughout these Notes; however, actual results could differ from those estimates. The impact of a change in estimate is generally included in earnings in the period of adjustment. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts to conform to the current presentation.

Variable interest entities. See Note 11 for a discussion of variable interest entities.

Recent Accounting Guidance

​ ​ ​ CIGNA CORPORATION - 2018 Form 10-K 73