Posts Tagged ‘Members’
UnitedHealthcare has acquired Health Net of the Northeast’s licensed subsidiaries and obtained the rights to renew Health Net’s membership in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. This means that when your employer renews your group’s coverage, they may choose UnitedHealthcare. UnitedHealthcare will provide you broader choice and access to quality care with one of the largest local and national networks, robust clinical programs and a full range of affordable products.
We appreciate you coming to find out more information about UnitedHealthcare and look forward to welcoming you once your employer chooses to renew with UnitedHealthcare. However, at this time there is no impact or change for you or any Health Net members and you should continue to use your Health Net products and services as you do today. As Health Net’s commercial customers in the Northeast reach their renewal dates, UnitedHealthcare will work to enroll these customers in a comparable Oxford or UnitedHealthcare plan. We also welcome Health Net’s customers to renew ahead of their renewal date.
When the time comes for your employer to renew your benefits, they will learn about all the benefits UnitedHealthcare can offer you and your family. These benefits include:
* Proactive care management and wellness tools, such as health coaching programs, which utilize the proprietary eSyncSM technology for access from multiple electronic platforms (e.g., phone, email, text messaging).
* A full suite of disease management programs that range from helping members stay healthy to living with illness.
* The most comprehensive database in the industry, which enables us to improve quality by creating evidence-based programs that use data to help physicians achieve optimal outcomes for their patients.
* Health care technology and applications that simplify and enhance patient and physician engagement with the health system.
* Service solutions tailored to the unique needs of all customer segments with local, rapid resolution teams, continuous monitoring of member, physician and customer feedback, and a focus on quality.
* A wide selection of products at a variety of price points, ranging from traditional rich benefit products to innovative consumer-directed products to EPOs.
Aetna has introduced a new online resource designed to help members who have enrolled or are considering enrolling in an Aetna Consumer-Directed Health Plan (CDHP) get the most out of their plan. Through a new page on Aetna.com, visitors can learn more about the plans, get tips on how to use these plans effectively, and view informational videos on the two most common types of plans — Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA). The site was developed using feedback from Aetna’s own CDHP members, as well as an independent survey conducted earlier this year, indicating that an overwhelming majority of consumers would benefit from tools and information to help them better understand their coverage levels, find doctors in their network, and estimate the cost of an office visit before scheduling.
“The downturn in the economy has prompted many employers and consumers to consider CDHPs as a way to better manage their health and health care costs,” said Aetna President Mark Bertolini. “Switching to one of these plans can be a big change. But by providing people with the information and tools they need we can help them make more informed health care decisions and get the most out of their health care benefits.”
Helping Consumers Get the Information They Need
Aetna’s CDHP educational resources are part of a broader Maximize Your Benefits campaign. This campaign provides consumers and Aetna members with information and tools designed to help them get the most out of their health care benefits. The Consumer-Directed Health Care page provides an “At a Glance” overview of the plans; “the basics” on how to use the plans, as well as informational videos and other educational materials.
A survey of CDHP enrollees conducted earlier this year showed that tools like DocFind, Aetna’s online provider directory, and Aetna’s secure member self-service website, which provides access to benefits information and the company’s cost of care tools, are ideally suited to meet the needs of survey participants. Specifically, the survey found that:
– The majority of consumers surveyed would have been highly likely to use resources such as DocFind (89%), Benefits Used/Remaining (87%) and Cost of Care Tools (84%) when they first enrolled in a CDHP.
– Consumers would have found access to resources such as DocFind (96%), Benefits Used/Remaining (92%) and Cost of Care Tools (91%) as highly valuable when they first enrolled in a CDHP.
Lower Costs and Positive Impact on Health & Wellness
Recent reports have highlighted the fact that more employers are selecting CDHPs as a way to reduce costs as a result of the economy. An analysis of Aetna members earlier this year showed that employers who offer Aetna HealthFund plans as an option experienced a savings of $7 million per 10,000 members over a five year period.
Aetna’s research also demonstrates that Consumer-Directed Health Plans can have a positive impact on health and wellness. Aetna’s study found that Consumer-Directed Health Plan members:
– Sought increased levels of chronic and preventive care
– Used generic drugs more often
– Accessed online tools and information at higher rates than PPO members.
Importantly, this year’s results also show that Aetna HealthFund members spent 5 to 10 percent more on preventive care and had 5 to 10 percent lower emergency room use than PPO members, suggesting that Consumer-Directed Health Plan members are becoming more informed consumers of health care.
“It is clear that Consumer-Directed Health Plans can have a positive impact on both health and overall cost,” said Bertolini. “As the first national health insurer to launch a consumer-directed plan, we believe it is our responsibility to provide the information, educational tools, and online resources people need to manage their health.”