Medicare
Aetna Introduces Medicare Advantage Plan in Fresno County
By Aetna
Sep 9, 2005, 17:32

Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) announced today that it is offering new health care coverage options for Medicare beneficiaries in Fresno County, Calif. Aetna is selling Medicare Advantage plans that provide both medical and prescription drug benefits, including preventive care services with no copayment, broadening the Medicare Advantage plan options for beneficiaries.

The Aetna Golden Medicare Plan (HMO) options available in Fresno County include:

* Unlimited coverage of generic drugs.
* No copayments for preventive services. Members can obtain routine physicals and other preventive care services including cancer screenings without copayments.
* Full coverage of health education and disease management services. Services available to beneficiaries at no additional charge include health education classes, nutritional training, smoking cessation, and disease management programs including a congestive heart failure program.
* Optional supplemental prescription drug coverage. Beneficiaries have the option to purchase coverage for Formulary Preferred Brand and Non-formulary Brand drugs for an additional monthly premium.
* Optional supplemental dental benefits. For an additional monthly premium, beneficiaries have a choice of two dental plans, one that covers preventive services and one that provides more comprehensive coverage.
* Instant access to health information 24 hours a day through toll-free phone and online resources.

"Aetna is very excited to be able to offer Medicare Advantage plans to beneficiaries living in Fresno County," said Gary Culp, head of Aetna�s Medicare business in Aetna�s West region. "Our Medicare plans offer choices that do not exist with traditional Medicare, including prescription drug coverage and full coverage of preventive health care services."

Aetna currently offers the Aetna Golden Medicare Plan in five California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino.

In addition, Aetna has filed applications with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer the new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) to individuals and employers on a national basis, except the territories, in 2006. Application and bid filings for each PDP region are subject to CMS approval with contracts to be awarded in September.

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