Wellcare vs. Cigna Healthcare
- Wellcare and Cigna Healthcare both offer several types of insurance plans, including Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans. Learn more in our review of WellCare vs. Cigna Healthcare.
Wellcare and Cigna Healthcare each sell various forms of private Medicare insurance.
Wellcare serves over 5.3 million Medicare members in Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs).
Cigna serves millions of customers around the globe and offers Medicare Advantage plans as well as standalone dental insurance plans, group disability plans, life insurance and more.
Cigna vs. Wellcare: Types of Insurance Plans Offered
Wellcare only sells private Medicare insurance plans. The company does not offer individual plans outside of Medicare, nor does it provide employer-sponsored group plans.
The types of Medicare plans Wellcare offers include Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans. Wellcare doesn't offer any Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plans.
Cigna also offers some standalone dental and vision plans in parts of the country.
Areas Served
Wellcare Medicare Part D plans are available in parts of all 50 states, and Wellcare offers Medicare Advantage plans in 32 states.
Cigna offered Medicare Advantage plans in 603 counties in 2024.
Provider Access
Wellcare makes it easy to search providers on its website, and there are more than 15,000 Doctors.com providers who accept Wellcare insurance plans.
Cigna Medicare plans are part of an overall network of providers that includes more than 2 million doctors, clinics, hospitals and pharmacies. The doctors and facilities that are part of plans available where you live may vary, so be sure to compare what providers are accepted by available plans before you enroll.
Financial Ratings
Centene is the parent company of Wellcare. Centene has a “BBB” financial strength rating from Fitch Ratings and a “BB” from Standard and Poor’s.
Cigna maintains a A+ rating from Fitch.
Medicare Star Ratings
Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rates the quality of all Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans across a variety of metrics using the 5-star scale.
For 2025, Cigna estimates 67% of their Medicare Advantage plan members are in plans rated 4 stars or higher by Medicare.
Customer Experience
The Wellcare website makes it easy for members to find providers and can log in to manage their benefits. Wellcare has a phone number for customer support, but they don’t offer an online chat option.
The company also offers several mobile apps.
Cigna makes it equally easy to find participating providers online and offers a member portal to manage benefits. Cigna also provides live online chat and a 24-hour assistance line.
Cigna has multiple mobile apps, one of which is myCigna.
Wellcare vs. Cigna: The Verdict
Many companies serve a similar number of markets, but Cigna offers a more diverse portfolio of plan types than Wellcare.
Cigna is defined by quality, which can be seen in its Medicare star ratings and financial ratings. Wellcare can be characterized by its small company feel and narrowly focused product lineup.
In the end, it’s up to each consumer to decide which attributes are the most important to them.
Helpadvisor.com is owned and operated by Tranzact, the parent company of TZ Insurance Solutions LLC, which is the owner/operator of Medicareadvantage.com and other websites mentioned on HelpAdvisor and which has a financial relationship with some of the carriers listed on HelpAdvisor. This may influence which products we write about, but HelpAdvisor maintains editorial independence, and our opinions and evaluations are our own.
