Aetna Revamps Private Healthcare Plans

Posted on Mar 01, 2011 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)

Aetna the healthcare insurance specialist has launched a new suite of International Healthcare Plans (IHPs) designed to cater for expatriate employees and employing companies in order to make health benefits more accessible for members when overseas. The Connecticut based insurer's revamp of its healthcare insurance products is focused on giving employers and their workforce optimum flexibility in accessing healthcare benefits and the management of costs for treatment required. The fundamental purpose of the new plans is to offer greater accessibility to healthcare, medical services and benefits for Aetna members when seeking medical care abroad. The reform of Aetna's international health plans means that expatriate members of company based private healthcare insurance schemes will have more flexibility in obtaining medical services, including benefits covering services associated with care such as dental, maternity and the provision of pharmaceutical products as well as traditional medical treatment and emergency admittance to hospital. The new additions to Aetna's private plans include the revamping of health and wellness products, with 49 optional benefits available for employers to incorporate into plans which can be tailor-made to fit individual requirements. The improvements in core healthcare plans have been implemented to meet the emerging needs of members as demands change with more employee mobilization. A key facility included in the new suite of plans is a free of charge health risk assessment - part of Aetna's wellness package. This feature, along with other health improvement initiatives, has been included to promote the adoption of healthier lifestyles. Encouraging members of private healthcare schemes to follow procedures for healthy lifestyles has been recognized as an important tool for health insurers and employers in order to maximize productivity from employees. The multi-national insurer identified the variation in the needs of employers and employees and has adapted plans to offer comprehensive core healthcare benefits. Aetna's new IHPs will mean employees now have the choice of 49 additional benefits with a range of financial limits. It has become more important for global health insurers to offer flexible plans as workers move from country-to-country as part of companies globalized trading. Changes to Aetna's international plans have been made to reflect cover for local niche treatments such as the application of traditional Chinese medication, which is popular with the workforce originating from the Far East. "We recognise that employers need a comprehensive level of core health benefits and flexibility in plan design in order to meet the needs of their varied employee populations. We have redesigned our health plans to provide a richer level of base benefits to work with different budgets and included wellness features to help employees make positive changes that can lead to lasting healthy lifestyles. At the same time, we've provided the most flexible selection of add-ons and limits yet, so that employers can purchase the features they need to tailor benefits packages to cater for regionally diverse needs and make the most of their healthcare investments." said Donna Otten, head of Aetna Global Benefits (AGB). Aetna's core health plans - IHP Essential, IHP Plus and IHP Elite - will allow additional benefits for hospice care, inoculations and vaccinations. Expatriates can also have coverage for evacuation assistance to repatriate an employee, along with emergency travel for an expatriate on compassionate grounds if a close family member is taken ill. These sort of extra benefits have been included in Aenta's international health plans to meet the needs of expatriates who want to ensure their private healthcare policy covers any potential emergency circumstance. The new IHPs are already available in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong, with plans for introduction in China, Jakarta and Singapore in the near future. The plans can also be adapted to cater for college students or government departments and other types of group activity. Insurance Company Mentioned: Aetna Aetna is a leading global diversified health care benefits company head-quartered in the U.S., serving approximately 35.8 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioural health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labour groups and expatriates.