HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aetna®,
a CVS Health® company (NYSE: CVS), announced its 2021 Medicare
offerings, featuring increased integration with CVS Health;
expanded and differentiated Medicare Advantage plan options,
including HMO and Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan offerings in new
states; new Aetna Medicare Eagle™ plans designed especially
for Veterans; and the lowest premium standalone prescription drug
plan product in all 50 states and D.C.
A pioneer in the Medicare industry, Aetna has served Medicare beneficiaries since
1966, when it paid the nation's first Medicare claim. Aetna now serves nearly 9.2 million Medicare
members nationwide, as of June 30,
2020.
"Now more than ever, it's important for older adults to focus on
their total health — body, mind and spirit," said Christopher Ciano, president of Aetna Medicare.
"To help members improve their health, we expanded our Aetna
Medicare Solutions portfolio of products to include new plans and
benefits designed to make care more affordable and convenient. As
part of CVS Health, we're bringing care closer to home and making
more meaningful connections that help our members age actively on
their path to better health."
To encourage members to stay active and choose the plan that
best fits their needs, Aetna
announced legendary U.S. figure skater Dorothy Hamill1 as its new Medicare
spokesperson. Hamill will appear in Aetna Medicare's advertising
campaign and is featured in a new Aetna guide called Putting the 'Me' in
Medicare eBook. The eBook offers tips and resources on eating
healthy, staying active, using technology tools and maintaining
mental health.
Medicare Advantage plans
Nearly 2.7 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in an
Aetna Medicare Advantage
(MA) plan, which can include extra benefits, such as
prescription drug coverage, vision, dental, hearing and
fitness.
For 2021, Aetna is offering
Individual Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plans
in 46 states plus Washington, D.C.
Aetna added 115 new counties
across the country, providing an additional 1.9 million more
Medicare beneficiaries access to an Aetna plan. In total, Aetna will offer MAPD plans in 1,793 counties
in 2021 accessible by 54.7 million Medicare
beneficiaries.2
To make plans more affordable, Aetna expanded its $0 premium plan options. Aetna estimates 81 percent of the
Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the U.S. will now have access to
a $0 monthly premium Aetna Medicare
Advantage plan.3
For those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits,
Aetna expanded its Dual
Eligible Special Needs Plan (DSNP) offering to select
counties in 9 new states — bringing Aetna's total DSNP footprint to 604 counties
in 23 states. New DSNP markets include California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New
Jersey and New York.
New for 2021, Aetna will offer
Aetna Medicare Eagle MA plans in 27 states. These MA-only
plans are designed especially for Veterans to complement their VA
health care coverage. With a $0
monthly premium, plans will include, dental, vision,
SilverSneakers® fitness program, and $0 or low PCP and lab cost shares. Most of
these plans will also include hearing, an over-the-counter
allowance and meal benefits to improve overall health and
wellness.
Medicare prescription drug plans
Aetna's standalone
prescription drug plans (PDP) serve 5.6 million members. In
2021, Aetna Medicare will offer three individual standalone
PDPs. A new plan, SilverScript SmartRx (PDP), featuring an
average monthly premium of $7.15,
will be the lowest premium available in all 50 states and D.C.
SilverScript Choice (PDP) will continue to be available in all 50
states and D.C. and will be under the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) benchmark pricing in 49 states and
D.C. SilverScript Plus (PDP), the plan with the most robust
prescription drug coverage, will continue to be available in 49
states and D.C. All three plans feature $0 Tier 1 copays at preferred retail
pharmacies.4
Medicare Supplement plans
We offer competitively priced individual Medicare Supplement
insurance plans from the CVS Health/Aetna family of companies nationwide. With
nearly 1 million members, our Medicare Supplement plans utilize a
simplified underwriting process. We also offer a dental,
vision and hearing product in 37 states. Our ancillary portfolio
covers 45 states and includes the new Accendo (CVS Health) Final
Expense whole life product. Ancillary products can provide members
with benefits paid directly to them after being diagnosed with
cancer, or for hospital stays and home care.
Offering innovative programs and benefits through CVS
Health
As a CVS Health company, Aetna
provides individual MA members access to convenient and affordable
care through various benefits and programs:
- Nationally contracted walk-in clinics and MinuteClinic®
retail health clinics:5 Members in PPO and HMO plans
that do not require a primary care physician (PCP) can visit either
one of the nationally contracted walk-in clinics or MinuteClinic
locations and pay the same copay as a regular visit to a PCP. With
approximately 1,100 locations across 33 states and Washington, D.C., MinuteClinic offers
convenient access to care for minor illnesses, injuries and
wellness services. Located in select CVS Pharmacy® and Target
stores, MinuteClinic locations are open seven days a week, with
walk-in visits available at most locations. MinuteClinic also
offers telehealth options if members cannot receive care in
person.
- Lowering insulin costs: In Florida, Aetna is participating in the Part D Senior
Savings Model, a CMS demonstration that allows Part D plans to
offer affordable, predictable insulin copays. Select Florida plans will offer members $0 Tier 1 and Tier 2 insulin at preferred
pharmacies.
- Over-the-counter (OTC) benefit: Aetna will continue to offer members in many
of its MA plans an OTC benefit allowance for a list of items they
may obtain through OTC Health Solutions, a CVS Health company.
Members can choose from an expanded 2021 product selection list
with 65 percent more items in 2021. Members can place their orders
by phone or online for home delivery. They can also use their
benefit in-store at over 2,400 select CVS Pharmacy® or Navarro
Discount Pharmacy® retail locations across 29 states, up from 12
states in 2020.
- Pharmacist panels: Aetna will connect members with their local
CVS pharmacist who can deliver personalized advice to drive
medication adherence, offer alternatives for high-risk medications,
recommend screenings and administer immunizations. Pharmacists can
also connect members with recommended health plan resources and
support their enrollment into care management programs.
Addressing social determinants of health with new and
expanded MA benefits
Aetna Medicare Advantage plans take a total approach to health
that goes beyond clinical care. With this approach in mind,
Aetna expanded benefits to
include:
- Telehealth: All Aetna
2021 MA plans will offer virtual primary and urgent care visits to
help members access care, including after hours or weekend care,
sick visits and prescription refills. Select plans will also cover
virtual mental and behavioral health visits.
- In-home assessments: All MA plans will offer an annual
in-home assessment at no cost that includes a comprehensive health
risk assessment and non-invasive physical exam from the comfort of
the member's home. The clinician will also assess the home
environment for potential fall risks, helping the member stay safe
in their home.
- Companionship benefit: In partnership with Papa Inc.,
Aetna is expanding its
companionship benefit to address social isolation in select plans
in six states. Papa connects local college-age individuals to older
adults who need help with companionship, light house chores and
technology lessons. Remote companionship can be delivered through
telephone or secure video.
- Healthy Foods debit card: To help address food
insecurity, a new Healthy Foods debit card will be included on 24
DSNP plans for members with chronic conditions and two Pennsylvania plans for members in the Healthy
Heart partnership program. The benefit will provide a monthly
allowance so members can purchase approved food items, such as
fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, and dairy.
- Foodsmart: In Illinois, a new nutrition benefit called
Foodsmart will be included with select plans. With this benefit,
the member's condition and eating habits will be assessed via the
web or telephone with customized meal plans and guidance provided
to help members make healthy food choices. This benefit also gives
members access to registered dieticians.
- Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Remote Monitoring
Program: Aetna is implementing
a Home Heart Care program with six individual plans in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky. Eligible high-risk members with CHF
who agree to participate in the program and follow the care
management requirements will receive a 5G-enabled scale, blood
pressure cuff and electronic tablet to monitor their weight and
blood pressure at home.
In addition, Aetna will
continue to offer the following supplemental benefits or other
services as part of its Medicare Advantage plans:
- The Aetna Resources For Living®
program helps address loneliness and other
social needs by connecting our members with important community
resources, such as transportation, housing, food programs,
caregiver support and utility assistance, based on individual
member needs. The program serves as an early point of
intervention for the many issues that affect our members' physical
and mental health.
- SilverSneakers® fitness memberships are
available to all of Aetna's
individual MA members at no extra cost. Through SilverSneakers,
members have access to 15,000+ fitness locations that offer
instructor-led, group fitness classes and other opportunities for
members to socialize within their communities. The membership
also includes video workouts and live online classes and
workshops.
- Aetna will continue to offer
most Medicare Advantage members access to routine vision, dental
and hearing coverage.6
Continuing efforts to help members during the COVID-19
pandemic
From waiving charges for home delivery of prescription
medications, to increased access to telehealth visits, to lifting
cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and treatment, CVS Health and
Aetna Medicare have been a leading force in efforts to help seniors
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most recently, Aetna shipped
Caring for You kits of over-the-counter items to all its
Medicare Advantage members across the country to help support them
with simple self-care at home. Kits included a thermometer, hand
sanitizer and Aetna-branded face
mask, among other items.
Aetna extended waivers for
Medicare Advantage member cost shares for in-network primary care
office visits and all telehealth visits for any reason through
December 31, 2020.
Aetna Medicare will continue to support members in 2021 by
committing to $0 COVID-19 testing
even if the public health emergency ends. The company will also
waive PCP cost shares and expand coverage of virtual mental health
services while the COVID-19 public health emergency is in effect.
Building on the Caring for You kits, Aetna will also send members diagnosed with
COVID-19 a box of supplies to help with recovery and prevent
further spread.
Visit AetnaMedicare.com to learn more about
Aetna's 2021 Medicare
plans. Or call 1-855-335-1407 (TTY: 711)7
days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 7 days
a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a
week, 8 AM to 8 PM. The Medicare
Annual Election Period runs from October 15
through December 7, 2020. A licensed agent may answer your
call.
1This is a paid endorsement for Aetna.
2This number includes Aetna's Joint Ventures in Minnesota (with Allina Health) and in
Northern Virginia (with Innovation
Health).
3Data as of August 2020
CMS eligibility file.
4Source: CMS 2021 PDP Landscape Source Files (v 09 08
20) available at
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prescription-Drug-Coverage/PrescriptionDrugCovGenIn
5Members have a choice of providers and can elect to go to
their PCP or a nationally contracted clinic of their
choice.
6Level and type of coverage vary by plan.
About Aetna
Aetna, a CVS
Health business, serves an estimated 34 million people with
information and resources to help them make better informed
decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional,
voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and
related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental and
behavioral health plans, and medical management capabilities,
Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation
administrative services and health information technology products
and services. Aetna's customers
include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time
and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers,
governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and
expatriates. For more information, visit
www.aetna.com and explore how Aetna is helping to build a healthier
world.
Aetna Medicare is a HMO, PPO plan with a Medicare
contract. Our SNPs also have contracts with State Medicaid
programs. Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal. Plan
features and availability may vary by service area. The formulary
and/or pharmacy network may change at any time. You will receive
notice when necessary. Aetna Medicare's pharmacy network includes
limited lower cost, preferred pharmacies in Rural Nebraska, Rural
Kansas, Suburban West Virginia, Rural Maine, Suburban Arizona,
Rural Michigan and Urban Michigan. The lower costs advertised in
our plan materials for these pharmacies may not be available at the
pharmacy you use. For up-to-date information about our network
pharmacies, including whether there are any lower-cost preferred
pharmacies in your area, members please call the number on your ID
card, non-members please call 1-855-338-7027 (TTY: 711) or consult
the online pharmacy directory at
http://www.aetnamedicare.com/pharmacyhelp.
SilverScript is a Prescription Drug Plan with a Medicare
contract marketed through Aetna Medicare. Enrollment in
SilverScript depends on contract renewal. The SmartRx pharmacy
network includes limited lower-cost, preferred pharmacies in Rural
Wisconsin, Rural Missouri, Rural Arkansas, Rural Mississippi, Rural
Oklahoma, Rural Kansas, Rural Iowa, Rural Minnesota, Rural Montana,
Rural North Dakota, Rural South Dakota, Rural Nebraska and Rural
Wyoming. The lower costs advertised in our plan materials for these
pharmacies may not be available at the pharmacy you use. For
up-to-date information about our network pharmacies, including
whether there are any lower-cost preferred pharmacies in your area,
please call 1-866-235-5660 (TTY: 711) or consult your online
pharmacy directory at
http://www.aetnamedicare.com/pharmacyhelp.
Aetna, CVS HealthHUB and
MinuteClinic, LLC (which either operates or provides certain
management support services to MinuteClinic-branded walk-in
clinics) are part of the CVS Health family of companies.
Aetna Resources For LivingSM is the brand name used
for products and services offered through the Aetna group of subsidiary companies
(Aetna). The EAP is administered
by Aetna Behavioral Health, LLC. and in California for Knox-Keene
plans, Aetna Health of California,
Inc. and Health and Human Resources Center, Inc.
SilverSneakers is a registered trademark of Tivity Health, Inc.
© 2020 Tivity Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
©2020 Aetna Inc.
Y0001_4002_23208_2021_M
Y0080_4002_23273_2021_M
Media Contact:
Ethan
Slavin
860-273-6095
SlavinE@aetna.com
Investor Contact:
Katie Durant
401-770-6442
katherine.durant@cvshealth.com
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SOURCE CVS Health