CIGNA can trace its roots back to 1792, and the founding of the Insurance Company of North America (INA), the country's first marine insurer. Its first life insurance policy was issued two years later. In 1865, the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CG) was formed in Hartford. Nearly 120 years later, in 1982, CG and INA merged to form CIGNA. In 1993 CIGNA introduced its Tree of Life brand identity. In 1997, CIGNA sold several of its staff model healthplans and the original Ross-Loos Medical Group which is the oldest health maintenance organization "HMO" in the United States to Birmingham, Alabama based MedPartners. In 1998, CIGNA sold its individual life insurance business to Lincoln National Corporation, and the next year it sold its property and casualty insurance business to the ACE Limited, for $3.5B cash. In 2000, it sold its reinsurance business to Swiss Re. In 2004, it sold its pension business to Prudential Financial.

CIGNA's business segments include CIGNA Healthcare, CIGNA Group Life & Disability, and CIGNA International. Ed Hanway is the CEO of CIGNA and Mike Bell, the CFO. David Cordani leads the Healthcare segment as President.