Thursday, October 24,
2019
Expanded
footprint gives 4 out of 5 Medicare-eligible beneficiaries access to an Aetna
Medicare Advantage plan
HARTFORD, Conn. — Aetna, a CVS Health company (NYSE: CVS),
announced its 2020 Medicare offerings, featuring expanded plan options with low
or $0 monthly premiums in most areas, plus enhanced benefits that focus on
members’ total health.
“We are proud to be on
this transformative journey with CVS Health to change how Medicare
beneficiaries experience health care across the country,” said Christopher
Ciano, head of Aetna Medicare. “Our mission is to make deep personal
connections with our members by providing more services and resources in their
homes and communities. Together with CVS Health, we can help members on their
path to better health. In addition to our current suite of products, we have
significantly expanded our Medicare Advantage product portfolio to offer
comprehensive medical plans with drug coverage to 4 out of 5 Medicare-eligible
Americans.”
Expanded plan options with low costs and
high quality ratings
For 2020, Aetna is
offering Individual Medicare Advantage Prescription
Drug (MAPD) plans in 45 states plus Washington, DC. Aetna added
264 new counties across the country, providing an additional 3.5 million more
Medicare beneficiaries (52 million in total) access to an Aetna plan. In total,
Aetna will offer MAPD plans in 1,681 counties in 2020.1
In an effort to make
plans more affordable, Aetna estimates 77 percent of our Individual members
will have access to a $0 monthly premium plan.2
Moreover, recently announced CMS
Star Ratings demonstrate that Aetna’s focus on total health
is getting high marks from our members. For 2020, Aetna’s MAPD plans earned an
overall weighted average rating of 4.3 out of 5.0 stars, with 76 percent of
Medicare members enrolled in plans rated 4.5 stars or higher — the highest
percentage among publicly traded companies.3 Plus, we earned our first 5-star plan.
Other 2020 plan options
include:
·
Prescription
Drug Plan (PDP): As
a result of the CVS Health acquisition of Aetna, SilverScript — the nation’s
largest PDP with 6 million members — is now part of the Medicare portfolio. In
2020, SilverScript will offer two individual plans: SilverScript Choice (PDP)
and SilverScript Plus (PDP). SilverScript Choice, the lower monthly premium
plan, is available in all 50 states and DC and remains under the CMS benchmark
pricing in 47 states and DC. SilverScript Plus, the plan with more robust
coverage, is available in 49 states and DC. Both products feature $0 Tier 1
copays at preferred pharmacies. SilverScript remains a high-performing plan
with a 2020 CMS rating of 4 stars out of 5.
·
Dual
Eligible Special Needs Plan (DSNP): For those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits,
we expanded our DSNP offering to a total of 14 states. Existing DSNP markets
include Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Texas and Virginia, with new DSNP markets in Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, North
Carolina and West Virginia.
·
Medicare
Supplement: We offer competitively
priced Medicare Supplement plans in 49 states plus DC. This includes the
addition of Medicare Supplement plans under new Aetna companies in several
states this year, along with a simplified underwriting process. In addition, we
offer a market-leading combined Dental, Vision and Hearing product in 37 states
and ancillary products in 45 states. These options give Medicare beneficiaries
added security, allowing them to customize their plans to address their
personal circumstances, such as cancer care, extended hospital stay and home
care needs.
·
Group
Medicare: Our Group Medicare
business offers a suite of products for employers and retirees in all 50
states. This includes a new behavioral health program in collaboration with
AbleTo. AbleTo provides one-on-one virtual behavioral health care with a
professional therapist and coach via phone or video chat. Additionally, Aetna’s
Group Medicare business, in partnership with Prudential, is offering an
innovative retiree medical risk transfer solution — the only one of its kind —
to help employers better manage their other post-employment benefits (OPEB)
liabilities.
Offering new and innovative benefits through
CVS Health
Together with CVS
Health, Aetna is pleased to announce a new fall prevention supplemental
benefit. In select plans, members who qualify receive an annual allowance on
select home safety items to help manage physical limitations safely at home.
The benefit complements Aetna’s case management fall prevention program, which
was launched in 2019 and addresses home safety, among other risk factors for
falls.
To support our
Individual members with high cholesterol or high blood pressure, select Aetna
plans will offer flexible benefits to make it easier to access care. For our
members with high blood pressure, Aetna will provide a blood pressure monitor, through partnership with CVS
Health, which allows members to monitor their blood pressure from home at their
convenience. Individual members with both high blood pressure and high
cholesterol may also be eligible for extra transportation assistance,
to help them keep their appointments with health care providers.
Aetna will continue to
offer members in select plans an over-the-counter benefit for a list of items they may obtain
through CVS Health. This includes a mail-order delivery option available for
all members who qualify for the benefit, and more CVS retail locations planned
to allow access to the benefit in certain stores.
To make getting care as
easy as possible for our members when they need it, and where they are most
comfortable, Aetna will launch a new individual plan in Texas that will cover
primary care visits at no cost-share at any of our network providers. These
members can also visit MinuteClinic® retail health clinics for convenient access to
care for minor illnesses, injuries and wellness services, at no cost-share.
MinuteClinic locations are open seven days a week, no appointment needed.
They’re located in select CVS Pharmacy and Target stores.
We’ve also created convenient Medicare Knowledge Centers within select CVS
stores to provide education and advice. Aetna Medicare experts will be
available at set times to answer any customer Medicare questions, as well as
digital self-service tools.
Addressing social determinants of health
To help with daily
living activities, on select plans in North Carolina, Aetna will offer in-home support to members who need extra help
around the house due to a health-related issue. Qualifying members are eligible
for 20 hours of assistance every three months with activities such as
housekeeping, grooming and dressing, meal preparation and medication reminders.
Leveraging the new
flexibility afforded to plans to offer special supplemental benefits to
chronically ill members, Aetna will offer a new benefit to address social
isolation on select plans in Florida in 2020. To combat feelings of loneliness
and help our members with chronic conditions, Aetna will offer a companionship benefit, in partnership with Papa Inc.
Papa connects local college students to older adults who need help with
companionship, house chores and technology lessons. Eligible members may
schedule up to 10 hours per month.
Aetna’s efforts to
address social determinants of health for Medicare beneficiaries is a part of
"Destination: Health,"
a series of CVS Health business programs with an enhanced focus on helping
people improve their health outside of a clinical setting.
In addition, Aetna will
continue to offer the following supplemental benefits or other services as part
of its Medicare Advantage plans:
·
The Aetna Resources For Living℠ program helps address loneliness and other social
needs by connecting our members with important community resources. Our
Resources For Living consultants work directly with Aetna members to identify
critical local services, such as transportation, housing, food programs, caregiver
support and utility assistance, based on their particular needs. The program
serves as an early point of intervention for the many issues that affect our
members’ physical and mental health.
·
Fitness memberships, in
partnership with SilverSneakers®, are available
to most of our members as a supplemental benefit that comes with their Medicare
Advantage plan. Through SilverSneakers, members have access to 15,000+ gym and
community locations that offer instructor-led group fitness classes and other opportunities
for members to socialize with individuals in their communities.
·
Following a
hospitalization, or in some cases a skilled nursing facility stay, most Aetna
Medicare Advantage plans offer post-discharge meals for 14 and up to 42 meals
each month.
·
In Florida, members in
select plans may also be eligible for meals for chronic conditions and receive
up to 14 additional meals each month to help them maintain a healthy diet and
improve their overall health.
·
We’ll continue to offer
most Medicare Advantage members access to routine vision, dental and hearing
coverage4 at no additional cost.
“We understand the
challenges our members face daily that can impact their overall well-being,”
noted Ciano. “That’s why our Medicare plans take a total approach to health and
wellness, helping our members age actively and continue to enjoy doing the
things they love. We even require all our Medicare employees to complete a
proprietary Senior Sensitivity training, which uses real-world simulations to
highlight financial, psychological and physiological considerations when
working with seniors and people with disabilities. Those learnings, coupled
with our own personal experiences with aging loved ones, give us the increased
compassion that has helped establish Aetna as a trusted Medicare advisor.”
Visit AetnaMedicare.com to learn more about Aetna’s 2020
Medicare plans. Or call us at 1-855-335-1407 (TTY: 711) seven days a week, 8
a.m. to 8 p.m. The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15
through December 7, 2019. A licensed agent may answer your call.
About Aetna
Aetna, a CVS Health company,
serves an estimated 38 million people with information and resources to help
them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a
broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance
products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental and
behavioral health plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health
care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and
health information technology products and services. Aetna’s customers include
employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers,
health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored
plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, visit www.aetna.com and explore how Aetna is helping to
build a healthier world. @AetnaNews
Aetna Medicare is a HMO,
PPO plan with a Medicare contract. Our SNPs also have contracts with State
Medicaid programs. Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal. See
Evidence of Coverage for a complete description of plan benefits, exclusions,
limitations and conditions of coverage. Plan features and availability may vary
by service area.
SilverScript is a
Prescription Drug Plan with a Medicare contract offered by SilverScript
Insurance Company. Enrollment in SilverScript depends on contract renewal.
Aetna Resources For
Living℠ is the brand name used
for products and services offered through the Aetna group of subsidiary
companies (Aetna). The EAP is administered by Aetna Behavioral Health, LLC. and
in California for Knox-Keene plans, Aetna Health of California, Inc. and Health
and Human Resources Center, Inc.
SilverSneakers is a
registered trademark of Tivity Health, Inc. © 2019 Tivity Health, Inc. All
rights reserved.
Media Contact
Ethan Slavin
860-273-6095
SlavinE@aetna.com
860-273-6095
SlavinE@aetna.com
Investor Contact
Jennifer Lynch
860-273-1595
LynchGilliganJ@aetna.com
860-273-1595
LynchGilliganJ@aetna.com
1 This number includes Aetna’s Joint Ventures in
Minnesota (with Allina Health) and in Northern Virginia (with Innovation
Health).
2 Data as of September 2019.
3 Includes publicly traded companies with over 250,000
Medicare Advantage enrollees.
4 Level and type of coverage vary by plan.
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