XML 38 R26.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.21.2
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
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”).
Amounts recorded in the Consolidated Financial Statements necessarily reflect management’s estimates and assumptions about medical costs, investment and receivable valuations, 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.
These interim Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited but include all adjustments (including normal recurring adjustments) necessary, in the opinion of management, for a fair statement of financial position and results of operations for the periods reported. The interim Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes included in the 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K (“2020 Form 10-K”). The preparation of interim Consolidated Financial Statements necessarily relies heavily on estimates. This and other factors, including the seasonal nature of portions of the health care and related benefits business, competitive and other market conditions, as well as COVID-19 related impacts, call for caution in estimating full-year results based on interim results of operations.
Business Combinations In accordance with GAAP, the total consideration transferred has been allocated to the tangible and intangible net assets acquired based on management's preliminary estimates of their fair values and may change as additional information becomes available over the next several months.The fair value of the customer relationships and the amortization period were determined using an income approach that relies heavily on projected future net cash flows including key assumptions for customer attrition, margins and discount rates.
Unpaid Claims and Claims Expenses Unpaid Claims and Claim Expenses – U.S. MedicalThis liability reflects estimates of the ultimate cost of claims that have been incurred but not reported, including expected development on reported claims, those that have been reported but not yet paid (reported claims in process) and other medical care expenses and services payable that are primarily comprised of accruals for incentives and other amounts payable to health care professionals and facilities.
Reinsurance Reinsurance and other amounts recoverable reflect amounts due from reinsurers and policyholders to cover incurred but not reported and pending claims of certain business for which the Company administers the plan benefits without any right of offset. See Note 8 for additional information on reinsuranceThe Company’s insurance subsidiaries enter into agreements with other insurance companies to assume and cede reinsurance. Reinsurance is ceded primarily in acquisition and disposition transactions when the underwriting company is not being acquired. Reinsurance is also used to limit losses from large exposures and to permit recovery of a portion of direct or assumed losses. Reinsurance does not relieve the originating insurer of liability. Therefore, reinsured liabilities must continue to be reported along with the related reinsurance recoverables. The Company regularly evaluates the financial condition of its reinsurers and monitors concentrations of its credit risk.
Collateral levels are defined internally based on the fair value of the collateral relative to the carrying amount of the reinsurance recoverable, the frequency at which collateral is required to be replenished and the potential for volatility in the collateral’s fair value.
The Company bears the risk of loss if its reinsurers and retrocessionaires do not meet or are unable to meet their reinsurance obligations to the Company. The Company reviews its reinsurance arrangements and establishes reserves against the recoverables.
GMDB is accounted for as assumed and ceded reinsurance and GMIB assets and liabilities are reported as derivatives at fair value as discussed below. GMIB assets are reported in Other current assets and Other assets and GMIB liabilities are reported in Accrued expenses and other liabilities and Other non-current liabilities. Assumptions used in fair value measurement for these assets and liabilities are discussed in Note 10 of the Company's 2020 Form 10-K.
Investments
Review of declines in fair value. Management reviews impaired debt securities to determine whether a credit loss allowance is needed based on criteria that include:
severity of decline;
financial health and specific prospects of the issuer; and
changes in the regulatory, economic or general market environment of the issuer’s industry or geographic region.
Mortgage loans held by the Company are made exclusively to commercial borrowers and are diversified by property type, location and borrower. Loans are generally issued at fixed rates of interest and are secured by high quality, primarily completed and substantially leased operating properties. Commercial mortgage loans are classified as either current or long-term investments based on their contractual maturities.The Company regularly evaluates and monitors credit risk from the initial mortgage loan underwriting and throughout the investment holding period. For more information on the Company's accounting policies and methodologies regarding these investments, see Note 11 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.Loan-to-value and debt service coverage ratio are the two most significant contributors to the credit quality ratings that the Company uses to evaluate and monitor credit risk in its commercial mortgage loan portfolio.Other long-term investments include investments in unconsolidated entities, including certain limited partnerships and limited liability companies holding real estate, securities or loans. These investments are carried at cost plus the Company's ownership percentage of reporting income or loss, based on the financial statements of the underlying investments that are generally reported at fair value. Income or loss from these investments is reported on a one quarter lag due to the timing of when financial information is received from the general partner or manager of the investments. Other long-term investments also include investment real estate carried at depreciated cost less any impairment write-downs to fair value when cash flows indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Additionally, statutory and other restricted deposits and foreign currency swaps carried at fair value are reported in the table below as Other.
Derivative Financial Instruments The Company uses derivative financial instruments to manage the characteristics of investment assets (such as duration, yield, currency and liquidity) to meet the varying demands of the related insurance and contractholder liabilities. The Company also uses derivative financial instruments to hedge the risk of changes in the net assets of certain of its foreign subsidiaries due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and to hedge the interest rate risk of its long-term debt. The Company has written and purchased GMIB reinsurance contracts in its run-off reinsurance business that are accounted for as freestanding derivatives as discussed in Note 8. Derivatives in the Company’s separate accounts are excluded from the following discussion because associated gains and losses generally accrue directly to separate account policyholders.Fair value hedges of the interest rate exposure on the Company’s long-term debt: Using fair value hedge accounting, the fair values of the swap contracts are reported in Other assets or Other liabilities. The critical terms of these swaps match those of the long-term debt being hedged. As a result, the carrying value of the hedged debt is adjusted to reflect changes in its fair value driven by the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). The effects of those adjustments on interest expense are offset by the effects of corresponding changes in the swaps' fair value. The net impact from the hedge reported in Interest
expense and other reflects interest expense on the hedged debt at the variable interest rate. Cash flows relating to these contracts are reported in Operating activities.

Economic hedge against the depreciation of foreign subsidiary earnings due to changes in the quarterly average exchange rate: Fair values of average rate option contracts are reported in Other assets. Because hedge accounting is not applied, changes in fair value are reported currently in earnings in Fees and other revenues. Cash flows relating to these contracts are reported in Operating activities.

As there have been no other changes to the types of derivative financial instruments the Company uses, refer to the Company’s 2020 Form 10-K for further discussion on our accounting policy.
Fair Value Measurements
The Company carries certain financial instruments at fair value in the financial statements including debt securities, certain equity securities, short-term investments and derivatives. Other financial instruments are measured at fair value only under certain conditions, such as when impaired or when there are observable price changes for equity securities with no readily determinable fair value.
Fair value is defined as the price at which an asset could be exchanged in an orderly transaction between market participants at the balance sheet date. A liability’s fair value is defined as the amount that would be paid to transfer the liability to a market participant, not the amount that would be paid to settle the liability with the creditor.
The Company’s financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value have been classified based upon a hierarchy defined by GAAP. The hierarchy gives the highest ranking to fair values determined using unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest ranking to fair values determined using methodologies and models with unobservable inputs (Level 3). An asset’s or a liability’s classification is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to its measurement. For example, a financial asset or liability carried at fair value would be classified in Level 3 if unobservable inputs were significant to the instrument’s fair value, even though the measurement may be derived using inputs that are both observable (Levels 1 and 2) and unobservable (Level 3).
For a description of the policies, methods and assumptions that are used to estimate fair value and determine the fair value hierarchy for each class of financial instruments, see Note 12 "Fair Value Measurements" to the Company's 2020 Form 10-K.
Level 3 Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities
Certain inputs for instruments classified in Level 3 are unobservable (supported by little or no market activity) and significant to their resulting fair value measurement. Unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s best estimate of what hypothetical market participants would use to determine a transaction price for the asset or liability at the reporting date.
Quantitative Information about Unobservable InputsThe significant unobservable input used to value our corporate and government debt securities and mortgage and other asset-backed securities is an adjustment for liquidity. This adjustment is needed to reflect current market conditions and issuer circumstances when there is limited trading activity for the security.
Total gains and losses included in Shareholders’ net income in the tables above are reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Income as Net realized investment gains (losses) and Net investment income.
Gains and losses included in Other comprehensive income in the tables above are reflected in Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on securities and derivatives in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.
Transfers into or out of the Level 3 category occur when unobservable inputs, such as the Company’s best estimate of what a market participant would use to determine a current transaction price, become more or less significant to the fair value measurement. Market activity typically decreases during periods of economic uncertainty and this decrease in activity reduces the availability of market observable data. As a result, the level of unobservable judgment that must be applied to the pricing of certain instruments increases and is typically observed through the widening of liquidity spreadsAssets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value under Certain ConditionsSome financial assets and liabilities are not carried at fair value, such as commercial mortgage loans that are carried at unpaid principal, investment real estate that is carried at depreciated cost and equity securities with no readily determinable fair value when there are no observable market transactions. However, these financial assets and liabilities may be measured using fair value under certain conditions, such as when investments become impaired and are written down to their fair value, or when there are observable price changes from orderly market transactions of equity securities that otherwise had no readily determinable fair value.
Separate Accounts
Separate Accounts
The investment income and fair value gains and losses of Separate account assets generally accrue directly to the contractholders and, together with their deposits and withdrawals, are excluded from the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income and Cash Flows.
Separate account investments in securities partnerships, real estate and hedge funds are generally valued based on the separate account’s ownership share of the equity of the investee (NAV as a practical expedient) including changes in the fair values of its underlying investments
AOCI AOCI includes unrealized appreciation on securities and derivatives (excluding appreciation on investments supporting future policy benefit liabilities of the run-off settlement annuity business) (See Note 9), foreign currency translation and the net postretirement benefits liability adjustment. AOCI includes the Company’s share from unconsolidated entities reported on the equity method. Generally, tax effects in AOCI are established at the currently enacted tax rate and reclassified to Shareholders' net income in the same period that the related pre-tax AOCI reclassifications are recognized.
Commitment and Contingencies
The Company is routinely involved in numerous claims, lawsuits, regulatory inquiries and audits, government investigations, including under the federal False Claims Act and state false claims acts initiated by a government investigating body or by a qui tam relator’s filing of a complaint under court seal and other legal matters arising, for the most part, in the ordinary course of managing a global health service business. Additionally, the Company has received and is cooperating with subpoenas or similar processes from various governmental agencies requesting information, all arising in the normal course of its business. Disputed tax matters arising from audits by the Internal Revenue Service or other state and foreign jurisdictions, including those resulting in litigation, are accounted for under GAAP guidance for uncertain tax positions.
Pending litigation and legal or regulatory matters that the Company has identified with a reasonably possible material loss and certain other material litigation matters are described below. For those matters that the Company has identified with a reasonably possible material loss, the Company provides disclosure in the aggregate of accruals and range of loss, or a statement that such information cannot be estimated. The Company’s accruals for the matters discussed below under “Litigation Matters” and “Regulatory Matters” are not material. Due to numerous uncertain factors presented in these cases, it is not possible to estimate an aggregate range of loss (if any) for these matters at this time. In light of the uncertainties involved in these matters, there is no assurance that their ultimate resolution will not exceed the amounts currently accrued by the Company. An adverse outcome in one or more of these matters could be material to the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or liquidity for any particular period. The outcomes of lawsuits are inherently unpredictable and we may be unsuccessful in these ongoing litigation matters or any future claims or litigation.
Segment Information A description of our basis for reporting segment operating results is outlined below. Intersegment revenues primarily reflect pharmacy related transactions between the Evernorth and U.S. Medical segments.
The Company uses "pre-tax adjusted income from operations" and "adjusted revenues" as its principal financial measures of segment operating performance because management believes they best reflect the underlying results of business operations and permit analysis of trends in underlying revenue, expenses and profitability. We define pre-tax adjusted income from operations as income before taxes excluding net realized investment results, amortization of acquired intangible assets and special items. Cigna’s share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported in the International Markets segment using the equity method of accounting are also excluded. Special items are matters that management believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to their nature or size. Adjusted income (loss) from operations is measured on an after-tax basis for consolidated results and on a pre-tax basis for segment results.
The Company does not report total assets by segment because this is not a metric used to allocate resources or evaluate segment performance.
The Company defines adjusted revenues as total revenues excluding the following adjustments: special items and Cigna's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported in the International Markets segment using the equity method of accounting. Special items are matters that management believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to their nature or size. We exclude these items from this measure because management believes they are not indicative of past or future underlying performance of the business.