CIGNA CORPORATION | Political contributions report at CIGNA CORPORATION

Status
Withdrawn
AGM date
Proposal number
7
Resolution details
Company ticker
CI
Lead filer
Clean Yield Asset Management
Resolution ask
Report on or disclose
ESG theme
  • Social
  • Governance
ESG sub-theme
  • Lobbying / political engagement
  • Public health
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Health Care
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
Clean Yield Asset Management has agreed to withdraw this resolution. For more details, access: https://www.cleanyield.com/cigna-commits-to-strengthening-transparency-of-political-contributions/

Shareholders request that Cigna publish an annual report, at reasonable expense, analyzing the congruence of political, lobbying, and electioneering expenditures during the preceding year against publicly stated company values and policies, listing and explaining any instances of incongruent expenditures, and stating whether the identified incongruencies have led to a change in future expenditures or contributions.
Whereas clause
Whereas

Cigna has stated “All of Cigna’s government relations engagements, including political contributions, are intended to be constructive and nonpartisan with an aim to advancing public policies that we believe support the greater societal good of a more affordable, predictable and simple health care system for all patients and communities. Cigna also stands for diversity, inclusion, equity and equality; our public policy activities are an extension of that commitment,” and “Some considerations are so foundational that they transcend all matters of public policy…CignaPAC will not support any elected official who encourages or supports violence or discrimination in any form.

However, Cigna’s political expenditures appear to be misaligned with the company’s values and vision.


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Cigna pledged to discontinue support to the 147 members of Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Yet according to Accountable.US, during the 2022 election cycle Cigna contributed over $70,000 to these members of Congress and has continued to support political committees that fundraise for them. Cigna also contributed to Georgia lawmakers who enacted legislation making it more difficult to access absentee voting ballots.


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Cigna promotes gender equity in the workplace, and more than three-quarters of its workforce is female. Yet in the 2020-2022 election cycles, Cigna and its employee PACs donated at least $2.6 million to politicians and political organizations working to weaken women’s access to reproductive health care, including 16 direct donations during the 2022 election cycle to Texas legislators who voted in favor of Texas SB 8 (2021), which made it illegal to insure abortion in the state.

These inconsistencies have been noted by Forbes, Washington Post, Popular.Info, MSNBC and other media.

Proponents believe that Cigna should establish policies and reporting systems that minimize risk to the firm's reputation and brand by addressing possible missteps in corporate electioneering and political spending that contrast with its stated objectives.

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