Charleston, S.C. (April 28, 2026) – MUSC Health announced today that its current agreement with Cigna
Healthcare is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2026, and discussions between the two organizations are ongoing.
MUSC Health has spent several months working with Cigna toward a new agreement intended to maintain access to care for patients across South Carolina. During these discussions, Cigna has conditioned an agreement on substantial changes to the way payments for healthcare services are made to MUSC Health.
As the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, MUSC Health provides highly specialized services that many communities across South Carolina rely on, including advanced pediatric care, complex surgical services, transplant programs and other advanced care.
Just as families across the country face rising costs, U.S. healthcare providers are experiencing significant financial pressures related to clinical staffing, medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and the technology required to deliver modern care. Maintaining a stable workforce of physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals is essential to ensuring that South Carolinians continue to have access to the specialized care available at MUSC Health.
MUSC Health and Cigna operate with fundamentally different missions. MUSC Health is a public, mission-driven health system that serves the healthcare needs of South Carolina residents and ensures statewide access to high-quality care. Cigna’s operates under a different model as a publicly traded insurance company where coverage decisions are made alongside obligations to generate returns to its shareholders and investors.
Despite these differences, MUSC Health remains committed to continued discussions with Cigna in an effort to reach an agreement that preserves patients access to the full range of services provided by MUSC Health physicians and hospitals.
If an agreement is not reached by June 30, 2026, MUSC Health hospitals and physicians may become out-of-network for Cigna members beginning July 1, 2026.
Patients currently receiving care at MUSC Health should continue to keep scheduled appointments.
MUSC Health will continue to provide updates as discussions progress.
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About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates nearly 3,500 students in six colleges and trains more than 1,060 residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal, National Institutes of Health and other research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit musc.edu.
As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. In 2025, for the 11th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.
MUSC has an annual enterprise operating budget of $8.9 billion. The more than 36,200 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research and patient care.
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