Regaining control and bouncing back after the unexpected

December 7, 2021 -  For many Americans, feeling a sense of control has always been tenuous, but the pandemic pushed them to their limit.

The number of adults experiencing depression in America has tripled, leaving more than one in four adults experiencing symptoms of depression and a third of adults feel less in control of their health. Compounded by financial stress, this loss of control has long-term implications and can result in an increased risk of illness.

While there is increased attention on short-term actions like eating better and losing weight, people have been deprioritizing health care. A long-term gap in seeking preventive health screenings and disease prevention can lead to serious and lasting consequences.

Now more than ever, the ability to maintain or regain control after a serious, unexpected health event appears difficult, if not impossible.

Therefore, Cigna Supplemental Health Solutions partnered with Ipsos on this comprehensive research to gain a better understanding of the impact a serious health even has on a person’s life.

Key Findings

• A significant portion of those surveyed felt they lost control over key aspects of their life during the health event, including over their finances, jobs, careers and personal relationships.
• In addition to the obvious physical toll the health event posed, the mental toll was significant as well and was more prominent among Millennials.
• Many people, one in three, needed more support to help navigate the challenges of the event, yet only one in ten actually sought out and used a support resource.
• Most people didn’t feel like they understood supplemental health insurance and how to use it. Just two in five said they felt knowledgeable about supplemental health coverage. They wanted more support to help them understand their options.
• However, those who had supplemental health insurance saw the value in the coverage and said it was an investment in their future. Those with coverage said it was a way to be prepared for the unexpected.
• People wanted more information about what tools were available, including supplemental health coverage, to help maintain physical, mental and financial control. Those who had mechanisms to learn about the options available could minimize financial damage and get back in control more quickly.

About the Study

This Cigna/Ipsos Poll was conducted July 21-29, 2021, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,010 adults age 18 or older who are employed full-time (at least 30 hours) and have experienced a qualifying life event in the past three years.

The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult US population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS – a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the US. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population.

The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, Census region, metropolitan status, and education. The needed benchmarks were obtained from the June 2021 Monthly Current Population Survey (CPS). 

• Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–39, 40–55, and 56+)
• Race-Ethnicity (White/Non-Hispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Other/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races/Non-Hispanic)
• Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) by Metropolitan Status (Metro and Non-Metro)
• Education (Less than High School/High School, Some College, Bachelor or Higher)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.81. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on other sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

A link to the report from Cigna can be found here.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is the world’s third largest Insights and Analytics company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

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