Cigna Hearing Aid Benefit: What Changed With Start Hearing

What changed with the Cigna hearing aid benefit

Some employers post their benefit documents online, and they show the change. One employer's 2025 Cigna hearing document points members to Amplifon. Its 2026 Cigna document points them to Start Hearing and tells them to find a Cigna Healthcare contracted provider through that program.

Your own plan may differ, but the change is worth checking. If you used your benefit in 2025 or earlier, the phone number and provider list you used may be out of date. The same goes for any plan paperwork printed before 2026. The member number on your card is the safest place to confirm what applies to you today.

What the Start Hearing program lists

The 2026 Cigna flyer describes these program features:

• Pricing that starts at $599 per hearing aid, including tinnitus options.
• A 60-day trial period, which is longer than the 30 days Texas rules require.
• A three-year warranty plan that includes loss and damage. Professional service fees may apply.
• Rechargeable devices at no additional cost, or a five-year supply of batteries.
• A starter pack with an ear wax removal kit, earmold cleaner and cleaning tools.
• Financing, subject to credit approval.

A covered benefit and a discount are different things

The flyer says Start Hearing is a hearing care program and does not provide insurance coverage. Your plan decides what is covered, and the flyer describes your payment as the price minus your covered amount. Cigna also offers a discount program called Healthy Rewards, which uses Start Hearing as well. So two Cigna members could both be sent to Start Hearing and end up paying very different amounts.

Call the member number on your card, or go through these questions about your Cigna hearing aid benefit with us:

• Does my plan pay a set dollar amount toward hearing aids, or do I get discount pricing only?
• How often can I use the benefit, and when does that period start over?
• Do I need to call Start Hearing first, or can I choose a contracted provider and start there?
• Is a hearing test included, and do any professional service fees apply?

HealthSpring is now separate from Cigna

HealthSpring is easy to confuse with Cigna, because those plans carried the Cigna name until recently. The Cigna Group reported to the SEC that it completed the sale of its Medicare Advantage business to Health Care Service Corporation in March 2025, and those plans now carry the HealthSpring name. You may still see the Cigna name on older paperwork.

So the Cigna change above may not tell you who handles a HealthSpring hearing benefit. One 2026 HealthSpring summary of benefits, for an Ohio plan (TotalCare HMO D-SNP, H0672-015), tells members to use the plan's hearing vendor, without naming the vendor. Call the number on your card and ask for the vendor's name. Our guide to Medicare and hearing aids covers what to look for in the plan itself.

Using a Cigna benefit at Mid Valley Hearing

Mid Valley Hearing Technologies is a contracted Start Hearing provider in McAllen. We work with the network and do not bill your health insurance. Jordan Ortega can start with a hearing test, then go over which devices fit your results and your program.

Jordan fits seven brands, including Starkey, which owns the Start Hearing name. Before you choose, ask which hearing aids your program offers and what each one would cost.

To get started, call us at (956) 576-3593 and have your card handy. Se habla español.