Preparing for the Impact of Pandemic Flu

Overview

The vaccine for H1N1 (swine flu) is expected to be available in October, and the United States is gearing up for the fall flu season. What is Aetna doing, and how can your own organization prepare?

At Aetna, we have had a pandemic plan in place, and our team is working to make sure we are ready to meet the needs of our members. We are closely monitoring the recommendations of government organizations and the availability of the vaccine for H1N1.

Aetna will cover H1N1 flu vaccine administration for members whose benefit plan covers preventive services, just as we have always covered the seasonal flu vaccine. We will pay for the administration of one or two doses of the H1N1 vaccine, based on recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We also are reaching out to our members to encourage them to receive both the H1N1 vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine, if indicated, once the vaccines are available.

For plans that include an Aetna pharmacy benefit, we do cover the prescription drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, which may be used, as prescribed by your physician, to treat the H1N1 flu virus. We treat H1N1 as any other disease under all of our plans.

We understand that the services we provide are critical to our plan sponsors and members, particularly during a health care crisis. That's why we believe it's important to share with you insight into how we have prepared for a pandemic and are responding to the current situation. This overview includes:

• Our plans to continue our business operations during and following a pandemic, including our readiness to change coverage or other policies as needed
• Educational information you can share with your employees, including an online training course 
• Answers to common questions plan sponsors are asking related to our pandemic response in general and H1N1 (swine flu) in particular.
• Where you can go for more information
  

Our Pandemic Preparations 

How Aetna Stands Ready to Help

Preparing to maintain business operations in a time of crisis is nothing new to Aetna. We have an extensive business continuity program in place that is designed to prepare us to react to a broad range of crises affecting our employees, facilities and data.

While our robust business continuity program provided the springboard for our pandemic activities, we are continually enhancing our procedures to design plans specific for the unique challenges associated with a pandemic.

Aetna's pandemic readiness activities focus on eight areas. We are:

• Leveraging our business continuity strategies for contingency staffing to ensure we can serve our customers, members and providers
• Developing alternate operating models aligned with stages of a pandemic
• Determining which coverage policies might need to be modified in a pandemic and when to implement modifications 
• Implementing a workplace infection control program
• Monitoring situation reports from the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other authoritative bodies so that we are ready to enact our plans as needed
• Collaborating with other leading organizations where appropriate to improve outcomes in the event that a pandemic has significant impacts on members, employers or the health care system.
• Evaluating the pandemic readiness of our critical suppliers and business partners
• Communicating with employees, members, plan sponsors, providers and other key constituents
  

Aetna's pandemic plans are consistent with the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza developed by the federal government.  We continually monitor our preparedness using a pandemic planning checklist designed specifically for health insurers, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you would like a copy of our current assessment, please ask your Aetna representative. For your own pandemic readiness, obtain a business checklist developed by the U.S. government.

Helping Your Employees

Aetna can help educate your employees about flu prevention and risk. We have placed educational information and helpful links about pandemic flu on our "Health and Wellness" page and have developed an online training course. We invite you to refer your employees to these valuable resources in your own internal communications vehicles.

This material includes links to more detailed information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the department continually updates. It addresses the differences between seasonal flu and pandemic flu, as well as risk-prevention tips and steps individuals can take to be prepared.

We hope this information will help encourage your employees to take prudent precautions against respiratory illnesses of all kinds - leading to a healthier, more productive workforce.

Want to Know More? Try These Resources

There are excellent resources available for plan sponsors seeking to inform their employees, learn more or stay updated on the impact of the pandemic flu.

We have information you can print and share with employees:

• Overview of H1N1 Flu and Tips to Prevent Infection  (PDF, English) 
• Health Tips: What You Can Do  (PDF, English) 
• Health Tips: What You Can Do  (PDF, Spanish) 
• Advice from the CDC on public gatherings 

Your own organization is probably working to ensure it has its own plans in place to deal with H1N1. Updated federal guidelines offer businesses and employers a range of options for responding to 2009 H1N1 influenza, depending on how severe the flu may be in their communities. More information and helpful communications for employers are available at:

• CDC Guidance for Businesses, Employers, and Workplaces to Plan and Respond to 2009 H1N1 Influenza 
• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Businesses and Employers.

For comprehensive information on the impact of the pandemic flu, including continually updated information on the H1N1 flu situation, we encourage you to refer regularly to the U.S. government’s official pandemic website.

There is also good information on the swine flu, Novel H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You, on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.