2006 Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Extends Aetna HSA and HRA Options to Federal Workers in 91 U.S. Markets; Both Offered at Lower Premium Rates in 2006.HARTFORD, Conn. -- Aetna (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AET AET Aetna, Inc. AET After Extra Time AET Actual Evapotranspiration AET Alliance for Environmental Technology AET Alpha-Ethyltryptamine AET Applied Extrusion Technologies, Inc. ) announced today that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM See Oracle Process Manufacturing. ) has agreed to expand the availability of two Aetna HealthFund(R) consumer-directed medical plan options into 46 new markets. The expansion makes the plans available to over 5.6 million eligible members of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP FEHBP Federal Employees Health Benefits Program ) in a total of 91 U.S. markets. Aetna first introduced an HRA HRA Health Reimbursement Arrangement HRA Health Risk Assessment HRA Housing and Redevelopment Authority HRA Human Resources Administration HRA Health Reimbursement Account HRA Housing Revenue Account into the Federal program in 2004 and followed with the introduction of an HSA HSA Health Savings Account (US) HSA Human Serum Albumin HSA Human Services Agency (Nevada) HSA Health Services Agency HSA Health and Safety Authority (Ireland) in 2005. Aetna maintains the largest HSA enrollment in the Federal program and both the HSA and HRA options will be offered at lower premium rates in 2006. "Aetna is pleased to expand its participation in the Federal program with competitively-priced consumer-directed health benefits solutions," said Russ Dickhart, vice president, Government and Labor Business. "This year's expansion allows us to reach 72 percent of the eligible Federal population in 36 States and the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). ." In 2006, the Aetna HealthFund with HSA will be enhanced to include: --A lower premium --An increase in the automatic deposit dollars for health expenses; $125 monthly ($1,500 annually, up from $1,250) for single coverage and $250 monthly ($3,000 annually, up from $2,500) for family coverage into a Health Savings Account A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States who are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). The funds contributed to the account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. --A no-fee debit card debit card, card that allows the cost of goods or services that are purchased to be deducted directly from the purchaser's checking account. They can also be used at automated teller machines for withdrawing cash from the user's checking account. ; used to pay providers, pharmacies or to withdraw funds --More tax free investment options, such as asset allocation, fixed-income, U.S. and International equity fund options --The program will also continue to include dental benefits through a nationwide network of over 70,000 dentists - covering preventive dental at 100 percent before deductible The OPM also announced Aetna Open Access(R) HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, will be offered in 20 states and the District of Columbia, providing over 280,000 current Federal members and any new members the freedom to see participating specialists without referrals. Connecticut and Washington join 18 other states offering this plan, which now also includes a dental PPO PPO abbr. preferred provider organization PPO Managed care Preferred provider organization, see there Infectious disease Pleuropneumonia-like organism, see there option. Federal employees who select either Aetna HealthFund option will receive 100 percent coverage for in-network preventive care; a medical fund or a consumer-controlled account to help pay for eligible medical expenses; the opportunity to roll over unused account or fund dollars to pay for medical expenses in future years; freedom to choose the providers they wish to see for covered services; a cap that limits the total amount they pay annually for eligible expenses and online tools and information to manage their health. Aetna's online tools include Aetna Navigator(TM), a secure and personalized member website which will give Federal employees access to resources including the HealthWise(R) Knowledgebase, hospital comparison tool, preventive care planner, DocFind(R) and online customer service. Federal employees can also call a team of Aetna registered nurses 24/7 at the Informed Health(R) Line for their health-related questions. As one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care benefits, Aetna puts information and helpful resources to work for its approximately 14.435 million medical members, 12.976 million dental members, 9.117 million pharmacy members and 13.662 million group insurance members to help them make better informed decisions about their health care and protect their finances against health-related risks. Aetna provides easy access to cost-effective health care through a nationwide network of more than 684,000 health care professionals, including over 405,000 primary care and specialist doctors and 4,135 hospitals. For more information, please visit www.aetna.com. (Figures as of June 30, 2005). Aetna HealthFund will be available to Federal Employees in AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA WA and WV. Aetna Open Access will be available to Federal Employees AZ, CT, CO, DC, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX VA and WA. Aetna HMO will be available to Federal Employees in CA. |
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