Aetna Introduces New Health Insurance Plans for Individuals and Their Families in Mississippi
-- Plans provide options for the uninsured, including children,
young adults and early retirees --
JACKSON, Miss.--(Business Wire)--Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced today that it has begun selling health
plans for individuals and their families throughout the state of
Mississippi. The new Aetna Advantage Plans for Individuals and
Families will be effective February 1, and consumers will be able to
purchase health insurance directly from Aetna or through independent
insurance agents or brokers.
Individuals may choose from among nine medical plans, including
PPO-style plans; high-deductible health plans compatible with health
savings accounts; preventive and hospital plans that combine coverage
for preventive care with catastrophic coverage for services like
inpatient hospital care and outpatient surgery; and an optional dental
PPO plan. Each Aetna Advantage Plan is also available on a child-only
basis, so that parents can obtain health coverage for their children,
even if no other family members enroll in the plan.
"More than 540,000 people in Mississippi are uninsured - that's 19
percent of Mississippi's population,"(1) said Gary Thomas, Southeast
Region general manager for Aetna's Consumer Segment. "Aetna is
committed to helping uninsured and under-served residents find
high-quality, affordable health care options. In fact, 35 percent of
the Aetna Advantage Plans that we sell are to individuals who were
previously uninsured."
With these plans, members will have access to health care
throughout the state. Aetna currently has more than 4,000 health care
providers in its network in Mississippi, as well as more than 700
participating pharmacies.
Meeting Different Needs
Individuals purchasing health insurance on their own have a wide
range of needs and preferences, which is why Aetna offers a variety of
health plans to accommodate individuals' different life circumstances.
"People's changing priorities determine the type of health care
coverage they need," Thomas said. "We designed the Aetna Advantage
Plans to address the unique needs that arise during particular stages
in life, such as graduating from college, getting married, raising a
family, becoming a sole proprietor of a business, being between jobs
or retiring early."
Individuals can log on to Aetna's website, choose the health
insurance plans that best fit their current health care needs, receive
price quotes and apply online, Thomas added.
Online Tools and Services
Aside from offering affordable, comprehensive health coverage for
a broad array of health care services, Aetna also provides members
with online information tools to help them make informed health care
decisions and lead healthy lifestyles, including Aetna's
CareEngine(R)-powered Personal Health Record.
While many individuals have their various medical records stored
away in filing cabinets and shoe boxes, Aetna's Personal Health Record
provides one secure, easily accessible online location -- Aetna
Navigator(R), Aetna's password-protected member website -- for the
personal health information of members. Access to the information is
available round the clock anywhere an Internet connection is
available. The complete Personal Health Record - or portions of it --
can be printed and shared directly with physicians and other health
care professionals. In addition, members can print a wallet-sized
Emergency Information Card that contains important information such as
name, date of birth, blood type, emergency contacts, current allergies
and medications, and physician and insurance information.
In addition to Mississippi, Aetna Advantage Plans are currently
being sold directly to consumers or through independent insurance
agents and brokers in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas,
Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North
Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.
Additional information about Aetna's plans for individuals and their
families is available at www.AetnaIndividual.com or by calling
1-800-MY-HEALTH (1-800-694-3258) or your insurance agent.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care
benefits companies, serving approximately 36.4 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, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers,
health plans, government-sponsored plans and expatriates.
www.aetna.com
(1)Urban Institute and Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the
Uninsured estimates based on the Census Bureau's March 2006 and 2007
Current Population Survey, www.statehealthfacts.org. Accessed January
24, 2008.
Aetna
Media Contact:
Walt Cherniak, 410-691-1405
cherniakjrw@aetna.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
