Aetna

• Company Ratings
• Positive Reviews
• Health Plan Variety
• Additional Insurance Options
• Helpful Member Resources
• Large Provider Network
• Customer Service

Company Ratings

While Aetna has a slightly lower overall score compared to other health insurers on Best Company, it has a high star-rating for the health insurance industry. 

Star ratings on Best Company are from people who leave reviews on our site. The overall score considers reviews and a few other industry-related criteria.

These good ratings indicate that many Aetna members are satisfied with their Aetna plan and the service they receive. With these ratings and reviews, Aetna has earned a spot in the top ten health insurers listed on Best Company.

Positive Reviews

A majority of Aetna reviews on BestCompany.com are positive. 

Praise in these reviews includes helpful and responsive customer service and satisfaction with provider networks. Positive reviews also mention having the coverage for needed health care.

Positive reviewers had mixed responses to Aetna's cost. Some thought the price was great. Others found it was a little high.

Several variables affect health insurance premium rates, including age. If your plan is through an employer, your employer's contribution to premiums can also affect costs.

Health Plan Variety

Aetna offers a wide variety of plans. Some plans are only available through employers. Others are available for individuals qualifying for Medicare or Medicaid. Here are the main types of health plans it offers:

• Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• Medicaid
• Medicare (Medicare Advantage and prescription drug coverage)
• Medigap (Medicare supplement insurance)
• International health plans

Employers can also choose Aetna health plans to offer employees.

Additional Insurance Options

Aetna offers one dental plan to individuals and families. Aetna Dental ® Direct plan fully covers preventive treatment. If you're switching to Aetna dental insurance from a similar plan, the waiting period for major services can be waived.

Aetna also offers a dental discount card. At participating dental clinics, you can receive a discount between 15 percent and 50 percent. The cost of this card starts at $7.99. While this card is not insurance, it can help you save on dental care.

Availability of the dental discount card and Aetna Dental® Direct varies by state.

You can also purchase international dental coverage.

Dental insurance is not available in every state. Depending on your state and the plan's benefits, you can receive coverage for preventative care (such as cleanings), restorative work (such as fillings), and even major procedures like getting crowns.

If you purchase Aetna Dental Direct, you can add Aetna Vision Preferred plan to your coverage.

Aetna's vision benefits are accepted at major eyeglasses retailers. Again, depending on your plan, your benefits can include coverage for contacts or glasses and eye exams. Aetna also offers stand-alone vision plans.

Finally, Aetna has a variety of other insurance plans to meet the needs of all consumers, including:

• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Government and labor insurance
• Student insurance
• International insurance 

Helpful Member Resources

When it comes to tools for members, Aetna rises above its competitors. Customer service is an area where this company shines. Not only are Aetna representatives available around the clock through different mediums, but Aetna members also have access to several different tools to get calculations, answers to questions, and advice about claims.

Anyone can search the company's website and get a tour of a member account before registering. This allows you to see what account access would look like.

To see if the physician you currently see is in Aetna's network or find a new participating provider, there's an intuitive Find a Doctor tool online as well.

It is advantageous for patients to see an in-network provider because rates are usually lower than seeing an out-of-network doctor.

Using the Find a Doctor tool, you initially specify your search by state and type of doctor.

Customer Review: Roxanna Perez

"I have had this insurance for the past two years. They offer different plans that work accord to my needs. Additionally, their network is easy to navigate and find the right professionals for me."

Once a member, you have easy access to tools like Find a Pharmacy and the iTriage mobile app that Aetna came out with for your on-the-go healthcare needs. 

Aetna also offers a tool to help you find the right plan for your situation, and there are pages on the website that describe the details of each of the plans.

Aetna members benefit from online access to a member portal and account, through which they can pay a premium, view benefits, get an explanation of those benefits, find a doctor, and request an insurance card. You can also order medications, view the status of a claim, ask questions to a virtual nurse 24/7, and get other estimates if needed online. These offerings are common for the health insurance industy.

A rising trend among insurers is offering discounts encouraging healthy habits. Aetna members can receive discounts for gym memberships and weight loss programs.

Aetna also provides tools that help you track your health (for example, by seeing your health history and statistics about your blood pressure). In this sense, Aetna supports its members' health and wellness. It doesn't just pay for your medical bills.

Large Provider Network

Aetna claims to have one of the United States's biggest networks of doctors and hospitals. This makes it more likely that the doctor you visit will be in-network for an Aetna plan - or, at least, it makes it so that you have a wide selection of doctors if you need to switch to Aetna's network of primary care physicians and specialists.

Aetna owns several subsidiaries in the healthcare industry. These include:

• Coventry Health Care
• Humana (which they very recently acquired)
• ActiveHealth Management
• Aetna Student Health
• Schaller Anderson
• Strategic Resource Company
• Aetna Capital Management
• Cofinity
• Medicity

Customer Service

Aetna prides itself on its customer service. It makes its representatives available to customers via phone, email, mail, and even social media.

There are a few different phone numbers you can use to contact someone at Aetna, but if you're a member, there is conveniently a specific member phone line to call.

At any hour of the day, there is also a virtual nurse available for patients to go online and ask questions. This is more convenient than trying to track down a doctor outside of business hours.

The company website for Aetna is very informative and easy to navigate. Its FAQs sections largely focus on the logistics of managing your account.

Aetna makes it very easy to find an answer if it doesn't already appear on the website. Also, you can expect to contact someone from Aetna 24/7 (using certain mediums) and you will be given information to make the best medical decisions for you.

• Negative Customer Reviews
• International Individual and Family Health Plans Only
• State Availability
• FAQs

Negative Customer Reviews

Although the majority of Aetna's reviews are positive, Best Company has also received a substantial proportion of negative Aetna health insurance reviews. 

Negative Aetna reviews mention issues with coverage and communication with customer service.

Negative reviews are common in the health insurance industry, which can make it harder to evaluate companies.

International Individual and Family Health Plans Only

Unfortunately, Aetna does not offer domestic individual or family health plans, which makes it only an insurance option for employers and people qualifying for a government-sponsored health plan.

However, the company recently announced its intention to begin offering plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace again for the year 2022.

If you're looking for this kind of plan for 2021, you'll need to consider another health insurance company.

State Availability

Aetna's plans are only available in certain states (these include Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia). The dental plans are even more limited, being available only in only a few states.

If you qualify for a plan from Aetna but Aetna is not available in your area, you'll need to find another insurance company.

FAQs

Aetna's website does have plenty of FAQs sections, but they do not answer questions about prices, premiums, deductibles, and factors that affect these amounts (rather they focus on the logistics of account management).

This makes sense because premium costs, deductible amounts, and out-of-pocket expenses vary plan to plan and can be affected by demographic information, like age. Aetna's website allows potential clients to view plans available in their state with detailed information about costs and insurance coverage.

As you consider the cost of an insurance policy, consider the monthly premium and the out-of-pocket limit. Look at how the plan has structured its cost-sharing between you and the health insurer. How much is the copay or coinsurance for health services you'll likely need?

Evaluating the cost and coverage level will help you find a medical insurance plan that works best for your budget.