Company: CI
Filing Date: 2025-02-27
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001739940-25-000009
Chunk: 6

Company: Cigna Group
Filing Date: 2025-02-27
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 6
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 industry; and the use of new modes of health delivery, including virtual care services, 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 causing us to incur increased costs if we change our operations to be more competitive.

Out-of-network providers for non-Medicare services are not limited by any agreement with us in the amounts they bill. For Medicare Advantage, out-of-network providers can only receive the same rate that CMS pays for Medicare services. While benefit plans place limits on the amount of charges that will be considered for reimbursement and regulations seek to prescribe payment levels, establish methodologies and dispute resolution processes, providers are increasingly sophisticated and aggressive. 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. 

Additionally, certain of our products and services are sold in part through nonexclusive producers and consultants for whose services and allegiance we compete. Our sales could be materially adversely affected if we are unable to attract, retain and support such independent producers and consultants or if our sales strategy is not appropriately aligned across distribution channels.

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 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 nonexclusive and terminable on relatively short notice by either party. The consolidation of pharmaceutical manufacturers, the termination or material alteration of our relationships, or our failure to renew contracts on market competitive 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 various public and governmental 

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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