Cigna plans income protection offer for grads, tweaks eApp

Full details are yet to be unveiled but the insurer told more than a thousand participants at a recent webinar that new graduates in professions such as medicine and the law would not need to show two years’ proof of income – the industry standard - before applying for agreed-value income cover.

“The requirement has been removed for new professional occupations,” Cigna’s chief operating officer, Debbie Eyre, told the meeting.

Two further “product enhancements” are due to go live before the end of June. Simon Tohill, Cigna’s general manager strategy and marketing, says these will target medical definitions to ensure they remain relevant and in line with current medical practice and transparency in policy wording.

Eyre says uptake of Cigna’s eApp, which has been in the market for a year, has been high and 83% of the firm’s business is now done through the app. It means advisers can get business written on the spot, she says, and further changes are coming that will increase straight-through processing rates, mainly because of better disclosure. For advisers who’re not confident with the technology, Cigna offers training sessions on the app.