Cigna’s ‘TV Doctors’ campaign irks real ER docs

Cigna’s well-received “Take Control” ad campaign, featuring TV doctors portraying real-life physicians, hasn’t left everyone smiling.

The spots have prompted real doctors at The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) to take action. On Wednesday, the association released a rebuttal parody video of its own. A press release explains:

“We are poking fun at Cigna to highlight a serious issue: the lack of fair coverage for value in emergency medical care,” said ACEP’s president, Dr. Rebecca Parker. “Many people don’t realize how little insurance coverage they have until they visit the ER, and then they are shocked at how little their insurance company pays. The $9 million Cigna spent on an ad starring well-loved actors playing physicians would have been better spent on patients. Emergency physicians fight hard for their patients who are bearing an increasingly large share of the burden for their medical care.”