Beginning this month, City of Phoenix employees covered by Cigna medical plans have access to a new tool to help lower their risk of chronic type 2 diabetes. Through its commercial partnership with Omada Health, Cigna offers clinically-eligible customers no-cost access to the country’s leading digital Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

The program offers an evidence-based approach that empowers people to make sustainable behavioral changes supported by social connectivity and personal accountability. It is available to Cigna customers with pre-diabetes, as well as those at elevated risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease and hypertension. 

The program is being offered to employees in addition to existing wellness initiatives, which include personal health coaching, onsite wellness education classes and incentives for completing a health assessment and preventive exams.

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 682,000 people in Arizona have diabetes. Another 1.8 million have prediabetes, with blood glucose levels higher than normal and a likelihood of progressing to type 2 diabetes in the coming years. In 2012, these conditions cost an estimated $6.4 billion in the state. The collaboration between Omada, Cigna, and the City of Phoenix promises to provide at-risk individuals with the knowledge, tools, and social support proven to reduce disease risk.

The program is built on the foundation of the National Institute of Health’s groundbreaking National DPP. Peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated that Omada participants lose and maintain clinically-significant amounts of weight over a three-year horizon, sustainably lowering chronic disease risk.

“Working with forward-thinking companies like Cigna is expanding the universe of individuals who have access to Omada’s life-changing digital health program,” said Omada CEO Sean Duffy. “Finding partners like the City of Phoenix with which we can deploy our joint offering enables us to deliver personalized interventions to large populations.”

“Helping to prevent or even reverse the course of chronic diseases like diabetes means people can live healthier lives and save on health care costs,” said Ralph Holmes, president of Cigna in Arizona. “Cigna has been partnering with the City of Phoenix for more than 40 years to improve health in Phoenix and we are excited to now work with the City of Phoenix and Omada Health to bring this innovation to City employees and their families.”