Aetna Sees Sixty Percent Increase in Member Calls to Employee Assistance Program.Increased Need for Stress Management and Financial Assistance HARTFORD, Conn. -- Aetna's Employee Assistance Program (EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) A protocol that acts as a framework and transport for other authentication protocols. EAP uses its own start and end messages, but then carries any number of third-party messages between the client (supplicant) and access control ) has seen a significant increase in call volume over the past year, with more members seeking help for stress, anxiety, financial assistance and other issues. During the third quarter of 2008, Aetna saw a 60 percent increase in the number of members seeking assistance for personal stress in comparison to the same quarter in 2007. For the same time period, there was a 55 percent increase in reported financial stress assistance requests, a 12 percent increase in reported anxiety and panic disorders Panic Disorder Definition A panic attack is a sudden, intense experience of fear coupled with an overwhelming feeling of danger, accompanied by physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a pounding heart, sweating, and rapid breathing. , a 7 percent increase in reported depression and a 5 percent increase in members seeking assistance for legal difficulties. "It is a priority for Aetna to provide psychosocial support psychosocial support A nontherapeutic intervention that helps a person cope with stressors at home or at work. See Companionship, Most significant other. to our members during these challenging times and the increase in call volume demonstrates there is real concern among our members for their financial and overall well-being," said Louise Murphy, head of Aetna 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 . "Historically, research has shown that during periods of economic difficulty there is an increase in depression, anxiety, marital issues and an increased use of alcohol and drugs." Aetna's EAP offers referrals to community resources to help with a broad range of life management issues, including issues that are of particular concern in a challenging economy. The EAP counselors also refer members to professional services (job) professional services - A department of a supplier providing consultancy and programming manpower for the supplier's products. , such as psychologists, marriage and family therapists and substance abuse counselors. In addition to its rich EAP information and resources, Aetna has a suite of information available online, including reminders and tips on how to maximize health benefits. http://www.aetna.com/dollarsandsense/index.html About Aetna 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. ) is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 37.2 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, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. 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, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. www.aetna.com |
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