Spanish-Language Now Standard Offering for CIGNA Group Insurance Benefit Materials

PHILADELPHIA, June 19, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Habla Espanol?

More and more, that's the question employers need to consider when thinking about their employee benefits communications. With the Hispanic population growing among the fastest in the United States according to recent Census data, Spanish-language benefit materials are vital for effective employee understanding and program participation.

Recognizing this trend, CIGNA Group Insurance recently enhanced its Group Life, Accident and Disability marketing program to include a wide variety of Spanish-language materials as part of its standard offering. Included in the suite of tools now available in Spanish are employee benefit information materials, insurance applications, enrollment and beneficiary designation forms, and more.

"We're committed to making it easy for all of our customers to do business with us," says Rebekah Whitehouse, Chief Marketing Officer, CIGNA Group Insurance. "For millions of Spanish-speaking people, that includes providing benefit information in their native language. With CIGNA, employers will not have to make special requests for these important materials and wait for them to be translated and delivered. They'll have them as part of our standard enrollment package, making it much faster and easier for their employees to get started."

Hispanics and Insurance Coverage

A survey by the Life Insurance Marketing & Research Association (LIMRA), reported that Hispanics are much less likely to own individual life insurance than the rest of the U.S. population. In households with income from $50,000 to $74,999, 36 percent of Hispanics owned individual life insurance compared with 70 percent of the total market. Given that Hispanics speak Spanish and English in varying degrees, information for this audience should be in both languages, LIMRA advises.

"This study underscores the importance of bilingual materials, whether they are for life insurance or other products, like disability or health care," says Whitehouse. "We're committed to helping consumers better understand their benefits by offering them a choice of materials to best suit their needs. This way they will get the most value out of the products we offer."

About CIGNA Group Insurance

CIGNA Group Insurance (NYSE: CI) provides group, disability, life and accident coverage in the U.S. The organization is one of the top five providers of disability management and insurance with solutions that focus on helping employees return to a productive work life as quickly and safely as possible.