DALLAS, April 26, 2002 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET), the first national health benefits company to offer a product in the emerging category of consumer-directed health benefit plans, co-hosted health benefits business executives, brokers and consultants at a conference entitled: "Health Benefits Ahead: Are Consumers Ready to Take the Wheel?" The conference presented a topical overview of the growing movement toward consumer-directed health benefits, exploring its impact on the human resource, finance, regulatory and legal sectors. Organized by Employee Benefit News, the conference was held Thursday at Le Meridien Dallas.
Aetna's Sales Vice Presidents of National Accounts and Global Benefits, Louie Heerwagen and Doug Sanders, and their co-presenter for the opening session, Michael Taylor, senior health care consultant at Towers-Perrin, spoke about employers' search for alternative products to meet consumer demand for greater choice and flexibility, and employers' need for guidance in selecting, implementing and managing consumer-directed style products.
"The intent of this conference was to explore how each of the sectors currently engaged in employer-sponsored health benefits will need to evolve as consumers assume more responsibility for their health care and their health benefits," Heerwagen said.
"Aetna's role as a sponsor of the Consumer-Directed Health Benefits conference is to support informed decision-making in all of our customer segments about this new and important category of health benefit plans," added Sanders.
"It's not surprising that the latest defined contribution health plans are generating a lot of interest," Taylor said. "The current challenge for employers is understanding and evaluating new options among consumer-directed offerings. Careful analysis of pricing and positioning will help companies that choose consumer-directed benefit plans succeed."
Other speakers/topics included:
- Jean Schauer, Watson, Wyatt, Employee Education Imperatives
- Tony Kotin, William M. Mercer, How to Evaluate Whether CDH is Right for Your Organization
- Robert Gold, Ernst and Young, Actuarial Implications
- John Hickman/Ashley Gillihan, Alston & Bird, Legal and Regulatory Compliance Issues
- Daniel "Stormy" Johnson, M.D., Physician Perspectives
Aetna's new consumer-directed product, Aetna HealthFund™, launched in September 2001, combines a preferred provider (PPO) plan with a unique, employer-paid health fund that can be rolled over at year-end with any remaining funds going toward covered services in subsequent years. This product includes Aetna Navigator™, a powerful and comprehensive online resource that provides additional value by enabling members to manage their health and track health expenditures on a personalized, secure website, as well as obtain pertinent information about health issues.
Aetna co-sponsored a similar conference with Employee Benefits News in New York and will be in Chicago on May 7.
Aetna is one of the nation's leading providers of health care and related group benefits, serving 15.6 million health care members, 12.4 million dental members and 11.5 million group insurance customers, as of January 1, 2002. Information about Aetna is available at www.aetna.com
