Aetna Introduces Vital Savings on Health: Industry-First Offering Combines Discounted Care with Debit Card Feature.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 a new program that provides consumers with discounts of 10 percent to 50 percent off the cost of routine health care expenses such as doctor visits and certain health care services, discounts of 10 percent to 40 percent off the average wholesale price of prescription medications, and a unique pre-paid 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. feature. The new program, called Vital Savings(SM) on Health, will be available to employers of all sizes on September 1, 2006, in Denver, Colo., and Southern N.J., and on October 1, 2006, in Tampa, Fla., and Raleigh, N.C., with additional markets being added in 2007. "We see this card as a positive for employers, consumers and physicians. Employers, who may not be able to offer certain employees health insurance, now have a low-cost way of attracting and rewarding employees, consumers have access to a broad network of health care providers at discounted rates, and physicians receive payment directly from the debit card at the time of service," said Chris Skelly Skel´ly v. i. 1. To squint. n. 1. A squint. , head of Aetna Health-Related Financial Solutions. Vital Savings on Health is part of the Vital Savings by Aetna(R) family of programs, which also includes discounts on dental services, 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 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. . Vital Savings on Health subscribers receive access to: --Significant discounts on the cost of routine health care such as doctor visits, wellness exams and preventive testing, when payments are made with the debit card, as well as discounts on generic and brand-name prescriptions; --A convenient pre-paid debit card to pay for discounted services at Aetna participating health care providers that accept Visa; --Discounts on other health-related products and services (for example, vision, fitness, alternative health care, hearing and oral health products); --A full spectrum of Web-based tools, such as DocFind(R) - Aetna's online provider directory, Estimate the Cost of Care - a tool that helps consumers maximize their health care dollars, and a variety of other tools that help consumers make informed health care decisions. "Vital Savings on Health is one solution Aetna is making available to many business owners who cannot afford to offer health insurance to their employees. Employees who work part-time or those who do not have health insurance should find this type of program attractive," added Skelly. Vital Savings on Health is not insurance; rather, it offers access to certain providers who give participants discounts on the previously described services and facilitates payment to the providers at the point of service with the use of the pre-paid debit card. Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified diversified (di·verˑ·s health care benefits companies, serving approximately 28.3 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, behavioral health Behavioral health was first used in the 1980's to name the combination of the fields mental health and substance abuse. As an example, an organization serving both mental health and substance abuse clients might refer to its practice as behavioral health or , group life, long-term care and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Our customers include employer groups employer group Association of employers Managed care An entity with a current group benefits agreement in effect with a health plan to provide covered health care services to its employee-subscribers and eligible dependents. , individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans and government-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com |
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