Aetna Collaborates with HR Policy Association to Enhance Nation’s First Private Exchange for Pre-, Post-65 Retirees

Aetna (AET) has led a best-in-class team to expand the capabilities of one of the nation’s first private health exchanges for large employers, giving retirees greater purchasing power, more choices, and help choosing a plan to meet their needs. HR Policy Association, representing the chief human resource officers of more than 350 of the largest private sector employers in the United States, chose Aetna to create the next generation of its highly successful Retiree Health Access (RHA) program.

RHA now gives employers greater flexibility, with the choice of offering pre- and post-65 group or individual policies on one integrated platform with access to multiple carriers nationwide. Retirees have an enhanced experience, with consumer-centric technology, tools and resources to provide a personalized experience and support their decision making.

To build the next generation of RHA, Aetna formed strategic relationships with best-in class consumer technology companies to complement its own capabilities:

• eHealth, the leading online enrollment platform for individual health insurance, gives employers and their retirees access to multiple carriers, individual and Medicare insurance products, retiree decision support, and enrollment capabilities both online and via eHealth’s world-class customer care center staffed by licensed professionals.
• Benefitfocus is a leading provider of cloud-based benefits software solutions that are designed to help companies educate and engage their entire workforce including retirees. Through personalized communication and multi-media decision support features, Benefitfocus HR INTOUCH MARKETPLACE® helps retirees in RHA plans shop for and enroll in the benefits that best fit their individual needs.

RHA also will feature a number of innovative tools from Aetna to give retirees and their family members ongoing support to navigate the health care system regardless of which carrier or coverage option they choose. These include:

• iTriage, which can help members understand their symptoms, find medical care and even make appointments from the convenience of a smartphone.
• CarePass®, a consumer website and mobile solution that offers convenient and connected access to some of the best health and wellness mobile apps.

“We are pleased to make available to RHA the strong product portfolio we have built to provide consumers with a better experience and empower them to improve their health regardless of which carrier they choose,” said Mark Bertolini, Chairman and CEO of Aetna. “Our portfolio includes the health management and information technology solutions offered by Healthagen, an Aetna company, and our broad array of consumer tools.” Aetna also offers group and individual plans as well as pre-tax reimbursement account services through RHA.

“No other single retiree exchange solution offers this degree of flexibility, enabling employers to tailor a solution based on their unique needs while still relieving themselves of the insurance risk and administrative burden associated with more traditional employer sponsored retiree plans,” said Larry E. Steward, Senior Vice President of Human Resources of DTE Energy, and Chairman of the RHA Coalition, who led the Association’s effort to develop and enhance RHA. More information on RHA is available on the HR Policy Association website.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 44 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.