Alright students, pull out your pencils and a clean sheet of paper. It’s time for school - health care school, that is.

CIGNA has just launched an innovative online health care education series, which is accessible through online sites like Facebook, iTunes, and CIGNA’s own site, www.itstimetofeelbetter.com/whywater.

The program is sponsored by CIGNA University, the educational division of CIGNA. The online program combines narratives, music, and an interactive game, designed to make access to health care information both simple and fun. According to CIGNA, their goal is “to help people go from confused to confident about health care.”

The timing of this program is essential. As we get ready to elect a new President, millions of people across the country are trying to evaluate the different health care proposals being touted by the nominees. For many of us, the intricacies of the health care system are confusing. In fact, studies have shown that very few people actually feel confident in their understanding of their health care coverage. CIGNA hopes that these educational programs will help people to better understand our health care system, allowing them to make more informed choices regarding their health care.

The online health care education series offers three different learning sessions:

• “Back to the Basics” - an overview on the history of health insurance and how the health system works

• “What’s Your Plan” - an interactive comparison of health care plans, designed to help people choose the type of health insurance plan that works best for their situation

• “Take Action Now” - an unbiased look at the Democratic and Republican health care plans

As an added incentive, the online course also offers an opportunity for you to help people in other parts of the world. When playing the educational game online, for every three questions you answer correctly, CIGNA will donate clean water for a day to a student at one of five schools in India. The program is supported through CIGNA’s partnership with Water For People, a nonprofit international organization that funds safe drinking water and sanitation projects in developing countries.

You may access the courses directly through CIGNA’s itstimetofeelbetter.com website, download the courses from the CIGNA Facebook page, or download them through iTunes. The educational courses are also available to employers for distribution to their employees.

We’re interested to hear your comments on the courses. We encourage you to take a look at the courses and give the game a try. How’s your understanding of our health care system? Are you confused, or confident?

For more information on the health insurance education series, please see CIGNA’s News Release.