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Aetna and Saudi Arabia-based Tawuniya Announce New Partnership
Posted on May 17, 2013 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)
Internationally renowned and insurance giant Aetna, and The Company for Cooperative Insurance (Tawuniya), recently announced their plans for a strategic partnership that will offer medical services to Saudi Arabian citizens residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as those living abroad. The new alliance will also provide coverage for expatriates who reside in Saudi Arabia.
This new alliance will be a great opportunity for both organizations and will expand the offerings of available health care solutions to a broad spectrum of customers. Furthermore, this partnership will ensure quality medical care coverage and access to programs and facilities to these customers, while also providing access to a vast network of international medical care providers. Mark Bertolini, Aetna's Chairman and CEO, expressed his satisfaction and excitement of the new alliance by saying that Aetna is delighted to be able to work with Tawuniya. He is hopeful that the pair will be able to provide some of the best health insurance options and medical care solutions available on the market. He particularly noted the two companies' commitments to providing high-quality and also reasonably priced options for medical coverage.
Ali Subaihin, Tawuniya's CEO, also expressed his thoughts on the new strategic partnership. He said that Tawuniya is looking forward to be able to partner with Aetna so that they are able to provide even more comprehensive medical solutions to not only the large population of foreigners living in the country, but also to the Saudi people. He spoke of the ambitious plans that the two companies have and that he is excited for the opportunities that may come in the future.
As part of the new cooperation, for the 80,000 students who are on undergraduate or graduate school scholarships from the Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission, Aetna will provide the coverage needed in the United States, meanwhile Tawuniya will ensure that the students have health insurance when they are back in the Kingdom.
The alliance goes beyond students, however, and offers another approach for Tawuniya's international health insurance coverage for those with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This group will now be able to access more than 100,000 health care facilities and doctors that are within Aetna's international network and will be able to take advantage of the company's customer services.
Furthermore, Tawuniya will offer existing customers of Aetna special services while they are living in Saudi Arabia. Some of the services that will be made available include Council of Cooperative Health Insurance-accredited coverage. Aetna customers will also be able to access the 1,100 health care facilities that have direct-settlement services with Tawuniya.
Sandip Patel, who serves as the head of Aetna International, is also enthusiastic about the new cooperation and believes that customers will be able to access more comprehensive solutions when it comes to their health care. In particular, he noted that Aetna's expertise with wellness, disease management and prevention programs will be a significant benefit for those living in Saudi Arabia.
Another benefit to note will be that new customers will also be able to take advantage of the many online resources that Aetna provides, which include an online platform to view and manage their policies, applications for mobile and tablet devices to help customers locate doctors and medical facilities, news about health and security risks, and translation services for drug and health care information.
Lastly, Aetna will also assist Tawuniya in the area of reinsurance as well as consult on how to develop their products.
Globalsurance analysts are excited about the news of this new alliance and are confident that the two companies will be able to further develop their product and service offerings to benefit even more customers in the region.