Aetna Rolls Out New Product Line
If you read my previous post, you know that Aetna is replacing all of their existing health plans with new and improved versions. So being curious, I set aside some time the other morning to go to the broker roll out meeting of Aetna’s new product line.
There were about 75 health brokers in attendance at the meeting and the Aetna rep didn’t waste anytime diving into what’s new about Aetna’s new health plan line up. He seemed unusually enthusiastic about what’s in store for consumers and brokers.
The new health plan line up is just as they announced in a preview letter to all their clients; more “skin in the game.” Clients will be paying more out of pocket expenses for health care services. Their new plans cover only in network services (HMO’s and EPO’s) and they’ve done away with all of their out of network coverage plans (PPO and POS). Aetna feels that with their extensive network of doctors and hospitals, clients will find all of their medical needs met in network so there is no reason for anyone to need to go out of network at all.
At first, the Aetna rep was peppered with polite questions from brokers about the intricacies of the new plans. About mid way through the meeting things started to get hot when one broker asked, “so what you are basically saying is that, you (Aetna) are telling our clients what type of health plan they should buy? Why can’t you let our clients choose what type of health plan they want? The entire room erupted in agreement and everyone began shouting things like, “How are we going to sell this crap? What am I going to tell my clients? Where is my client’s freedom of choice?”
The Aetna rep was completely perplexed by the uproar from the brokers. It seemed that his enthusiasm was completely drained from his face. After a few seconds he composed himself and said calmly and succinctly, “this is the future of our health care and this where the entire industry is moving to. I don’t know why you are all so upset?”
I said to myself quietly what I have said to my kids for years when they feel they have been denied certain privileges, “you get what you get and you don’t get upset.” It seems that Aetna and maybe all the other insurance companies have been talking too much with our Government officials about what our health care system should really be like.
