Aetna’s 2020 Medicare plans connect members with more personalized care and benefits in their homes and communities

PR Newswire

HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.^*

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.^**

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.^*** 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^SMprogram 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 coverage^†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) 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, 8 AM to 8 PM. The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7, 2019. A licensed agent may answer your call.

^*This number includes Aetna's Joint Ventures in Minnesota (with Allina Health) and in Northern Virginia (with Innovation Health).
^**Data as of September 2019.
^***Includes publicly traded companies with over 250,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees.
^†Level and type of coverage vary by plan.

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^SMis 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.