[December 01, 2015] |
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Save on Health Care Costs with Aetna's Price Estimator
Aetna
(NYSE: AET) is improving health care transparency and helping people in
Iowa and Nebraska save money by launching its award-winning Member
Payment Estimator. The Member Payment Estimator provides a more
complete, personalized picture of the costs involved with health care.
Available online or through Aetna's mobile app, the Member Payment
Estimator provides real-time out-of-pocket cost estimates and cost
comparisons for more than 650 commonly used, non-emergency in-network
health services including traditional or C-section births,
colonoscopies, MRIs and CT scans. The tool for Aetna members displays up
to 10 cost estimates at a time for a selected procedure in a geographic
area, which can help make members more aware of the cost differences
among different health care providers.
Aetna's estimates are derived from actual claims for a procedure and
provider, and then calculated to include information based on the
member's actual benefit plan, such as their deductible, copayments and
Aetna's negotiated rates. The tool also includes data on out-of-network
providers.
According to Kaiser Family Foundation's 2012 Health Tracking Poll, about
58 percent of households put off care because of costs. Aetna's tool
gives members an idea o costs ahead of time helping to eliminate
surprise bills or bills that are higher than expected. For example, a
quick search for a complete shoulder x-ray on the Member Payment
Estimator reveals costs of $552.48 at Provider A, $210.85 at Provider B
and $46.85 at Provider C in Des Moines. In Omaha the same complete
shoulder x-ray costs $297.63 at Provider A, $404.37 at Provider B and
$38.63 at Provider C.
"Unlike a television or car, the cost of a given health care procedure
can vary widely between health facilities or doctors and from one region
to another," Dale Mackel, president of Aetna's Iowa and Nebraska
operations, explained. "In our experience, Aetna members saved an
average of $170 in out-of-pocket costs for 34 common procedures by using
the payment estimator."
In 2014 members accessed the Member Payment Estimator 1,603,311 times,
an average of 133,609 hits per month. This was a 23 percent increase in
hits from the previous year. There have been more than 6.3 million hits
since current form of the tool was launched in 2010. The roll-out to
Iowa and Nebraska is a reflection of Aetna's growing presence in those
states and the continuing integration of Aetna's capabilities with
Coventry products.
When Aetna launched its price transparency effort in 2005, it was the
first national health insurer to provide members with the actual,
negotiated rates the company pays to participating network physicians
for common services and procedures.
About Aetna Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified
health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 46.5 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, behavioral
health, group life and disability 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, see www.aetna.com
and learn about how
Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @AetnaNews
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151201005924/en/
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