Aetna Expands Medicare Offerings in Westchester and Rockland Counties.Business Editors NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2004 Aetna announced today that it has received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that administers the Medicare program and (CMS (1) See content management system and color management system. (2) (Conversational Monitor System) Software that provides interactive communications for IBM's VM operating system. ) to offer its Aetna Golden Choice(TM) Plan to Medicare beneficiaries in New York's Westchester and Rockland counties. The Aetna Golden Choice Plan is a Medicare+Choice(1) point of service (POS (1) See point of sale and packet over SONET. (2) "Parent over shoulder." See digispeak. POS - point of sale ) plan that offers Medicare beneficiaries access to out of network physicians and hospitals, similar to options available in the private insurance market. This is the first time Aetna has offered a Medicare+Choice POS plan in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . The Aetna Golden Choice Plan differs from the original Medicare plan by offering greater benefits, including coverage for generic versions of prescription drugs prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, and preventive health care. Unlike Aetna's Medicare+Choice 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, , the point of service plan does not require referrals to specialists or selection of a primary care physician (PCP PCP abbr. 1. phencyclidine 2. primary care physician Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) ). Aetna continues to recommend, however, that members designate a PCP to work with the member in coordinating their care. The POS plan also offers the choice of out of network benefits for an additional out of pocket cost. "This is the first of several changes on the horizon," said Eric Cormier, general manager of the East Region for Aetna's Retiree Markets. "Aetna worked alongside Congress and the Administration to modernize the Medicare program by expanding consumer choice. The new Medicare reform law gives health plans the opportunity to improve our offerings to Medicare beneficiaries through changes such as increased benefits and/or premium reductions. We are currently assessing how best to enhance our current Medicare+Choice offerings, and we expect that additional choices will be forthcoming," Cormier added. Co-pays average between $10-20 for in-network office visits and medical services. Out-of-network care is covered at 80% after the member meets a deductible. Prescription drugs are covered on a tiered basis: $15 for a 30-day supply of generic drugs and $30 for a 90-day supply of generic drugs purchased through Aetna's mail order pharmacy. Other benefits include coverage for preventive care Preventive care is a set of measures taken in advance of symptoms to prevent illness or injury. This type of care is best exemplified by routine physical examinations and immunizations. The emphasis is on preventing illnesses before they occur. See also
Aetna is one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. benefits, serving approximately 13.0 million medical members, 11.0 million dental members, 7.4 million pharmacy members and 12.1 million group insurance customers, as of September 30, 2003. The company has expansive nationwide networks of more than 590,000 health care services providers, including over 355,000 primary care and specialist physicians and 3,577 hospitals. For more information about Aetna, please visit the company's web site at www.aetna.com. The programs were renamed as part of the recently enacted Medicare reform law. (1)Medicare+Choice programs will be referred to as Medicare Advantage programs going forward. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion