Initially chartered in 1850 to sell life insurance, Aetna, Inc. today provides health care, consumer choice, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability, employee benefits, long-term care insurance, pension, and annuity products within the United States. As of December 2005, Aetna plan memberships totaled over 50 million participants, with health care networks including over 700,000 providers and 4,323 hospitals. The Aetna brand name is applied to products and services supplied by the Aetna group of subsidiary companies, which includes Aetna Life Insurance Company, Aetna Health, Inc., and Aetna Health Administrators, LLC.
Aetna Plans
Aetna provides health care benefits through employers in all 50 states. It offers a variety of traditional, PPO, HMO, and cafeteria health benefit programs tailored specifically to the unique needs of small, mid-sized, and large multi-site national employers. Individual health plans from Aetna are primarily Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO). Currently, it offers individual and family health plans in the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Virginia.
High Deductible PPO plans feature low premiums, co-payment options, and the ability to add a Health Savings Account (HSA) for flexibility. Additional PPO plans offer the choice of $500, $1,500, $2,500, and $5,000 deductibles. Some of the benefits allowable under Aetna's PPO plans are: provider choice (in-network and out of network), prescription coverage, hospitalization, vision, and skilled nursing. A Preferred Dental Network (PDN) plan is offered alongside most Aetna individual health plans.
Aetna was the first national, full-service insurer to offer consumer-directed health plans that give plan participants the opportunity to set aside pre-tax dollars in tax-advantaged savings accounts. Consumer-directed plans allow participants to spend a portion of their health care dollars as they choose; these include: HSA, Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), Retiree Reimbursement Account (RRA), and Flexible Spending Account (FSA). FSA products are sold under the HealthFund name and paired with Aetna's traditional employer-provided and individual health insurance plans.
Aetna has contracted with the federal government to become a Medicare Part C (Medical Advantage Plan) provider. Part C health coverage meets or exceeds the traditional Original Medicare Plan (Part A & B) coverage. Some plans can be combined with the new Medicare prescription drug coverage (MA-PD plans) to help with prescription drug costs. Aetna offers three Medicare plans:
- Medicare RXSM - Prescription coverage only (Medicare Part D)
- Medicare AdvantageSM - Combined medical and prescription coverage (MA-PD)
- Medicare SupplementSM - Medigap coverage designed to help pay for benefits (exclusive of prescription drug coverage) not covered by Medicare Part A & B.