改变中国医疗服务的新势力

    中国招商银行同样称自己是一家私人银行机构。银行对于信诺扩大在海外出差的高净值客户（资产为350,000美元至150万美元）中的份额至为关键，而且它可以利用信诺集团在中国境外，如新加坡、中国香港，甚至欧洲等地成熟的医院和医生网络。

    信诺集团开始在中国销售保险时，只销售健康险和意外险，如当灾难降临时，一次性给付保险金的癌症保险等。2012年加入信诺负责中国业务的巴西人费尔南多•莫雷估计，信诺在中国的业务约70%为附加健康、人寿和意外保险市场，年保费最低为150美元。加入信诺之前，莫雷曾在中国大型人寿保险公司平安保险（Ping An）任顾问一职。

    但目前，信诺正在努力争取每年愿意为保险支付15,000美元的客户。电脑网络公司CEO、36岁的李政（音译）就是一个例子。李政对《财富》杂志表示，他之所以购买了一份信诺的保险，是因为他希望获得私人医疗机构提供的更优质的服务。李政说：“在公立医院，必须等很长时间。”此外，他的妻子在加拿大出生，而且他需要经常进行国外旅行，因此他希望为自己在国外和国内的旅行投保。

    上海中国市场研究集团（CMR China Market Research Group）的高级分析师本•凯文德表示，跨国企业的许多更年轻的中国高管积累的财富远远多于上一辈，现在他们更关心年迈的父母。凯文德说：“对于信诺提供的个人健康保险产品的需求，肯定会愈加迫切。”

    信诺在中国扩张的下一步是为中国公司提供美国式的工作场所保险。这些保险产品相对昂贵，所以它们将仅面向中高层管理人员提供。到目前为止，中国尚未向提供医疗保险的公司提供任何税收优惠，但据报道，中国正在考虑进行这方面的改革，而这将大幅增加信诺的业务。

    当然，不论是在中国还是其他发展中国家，信诺都不会坐等政府立法或政策改革来增加公司业务。之前公司凭借出人意料的策略取得成功。受此鼓舞，公司将继续在中国进行尝试。信诺与另外12家银行、信用公司、航空公司甚至零售商签署了合约，将有权访问这些公司客户名单，而这些客户将成为它潜在的销售对象。此外，它还推出了“管家服务”，帮助中国中产阶级享受全新的资本主义式的按诊疗收费医疗。它还将延续与优秀营销者合作的做法，而不是选择成功的保险公司。它在印度新成立的合资公司选择了另外一家非常规的合作伙伴：当地一家多样化经营的著名炊具制造商。印度的中产阶级同样在日益壮大，同时开始对VIP医疗和保险产生需求。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    China Merchants Bank, which also boasts a private banking unit, is key to Cigna's efforts to expand its market to high-net-worth customers ($350,000 to $1.5 million in assets) who travel abroad and can take advantage of Cigna's established network of hospitals and doctors outside of China, in places like Singapore, Hong Kong, and even Europe.

    When Cigna began selling insurance in China, it began with simple health and accident policies such as the cancer product that offers a lump sum payout when a catastrophic event happens. Fernando Moreira, a Brazilian who joined Cigna in 2012 to head the China operation after working as an adviser to Ping An, a huge Chinese life insurance company, estimates that about 70% of Cigna's business in China is in the supplemental health, life, and accident market, with annual premiums as low as $150.

    These days, though, Cigna is making a push for clients who will spend $15,000 a year or more on insurance. Customers like Li Zheng, the 36-year-old CEO of a computer network company. Li toldFortune he signed up for a Cigna policy because he wanted access to the better service offered by private health care. "At public hospitals you have to wait a long time," Li says. He also has a Canadian-born wife and often travels abroad, so he wants to be covered on his overseas trips as well as in China.

    Ben Cavender, associate principal at CMR China Market Research Group in Shanghai, says a lot of younger Chinese executives at multinationals have more money than previous generations, and they now must care for their aging parents. "There's absolutely going to be very strong demand for the kind of individual health care policies Cigna is offering," Cavender says.

    The next chapter in Cigna's expansion is offering U.S.-style workplace insurance plans to Chinese companies. These are relatively expensive, so they would be available only to executives and middle managers. So far, China does not offer any tax benefits to companies that provide health care insurance, but is reported to be considering making a change, which could vastly increase Cigna's business.

    Not that Cigna is sitting back and waiting for legislative or policy changes to boost its business in China, or elsewhere in the developing world for that matter. Emboldened by its wins using unexpected tactics, the company continues to experiment in China. Cigna has signed deals with another 12 banks, credit companies, airlines, and even retailers to get access to their customer lists as potential sales leads. It has also created a concierge service to help middle-class Chinese deal with the brave new world of capitalist-style fee-for-service medicine. And its practice of teaming up with great marketing partners -- rather than successful insurers -- continues. For its new joint venture in India, which also has a rising middle class that is starting to demand VIP health care and insurance, Cigna chose another unconventional partner: a diversified local manufacturing company best known as a maker of cooking pots.