Aetna To Offer HMO Plans In Two New Florida Counties
TAMPA, Fla., May 6, 2005 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) announced today that it has expanded its HMO service area in Florida, offering HMO-based plans in two new counties. Hernando County is being added to the company’s Tampa Bay service area, and Alachua County, which includes the city of Gainesville, is being added to Aetna’s North Florida service area.
"Customers in Florida have been very receptive to the variety of plans Aetna offers in the state," said Mark LaBorde, general manager for mid-sized markets in Aetna’s Southeast Region. "We’ve enjoyed significant membership growth among employer groups of all sizes, and we’re looking forward to offering our HMO-based plans across a wider geographic area."
Aetna signed HMO agreements with hospitals and physicians in both counties to provide health care access for prospective new members. In Hernando County, Aetna has signed HMO agreements with Brooksville Hospital, Oak Hill Hospital and Spring Hill Regional Hospital. The three facilities have a combined total of 370 hospital beds. The Hernando expansion also adds 21 new primary-care physicians and 112 new specialists to Aetna’s HMO network.
In Alachua County, Aetna signed agreements with North Florida Regional Medical Center, Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, and Shands Hospital at AGH. The three facilities have a combined 1,239 hospital beds. The expansion adds 142 primary-physicians and 460 specialists to Aetna’s HMO network in Alachua.
Aetna currently has approximately 1.2 million members in Florida, more than in any other state in the Southeast.
As one of the nation’s leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care benefits, Aetna puts information and helpful resources to work for its approximately 14.4 million medical members, 12.8 million dental members, 9.0 million pharmacy members and 14.0 million group insurance members to help them make better informed decisions about their health care and protect their finances against health-related risks. Aetna provides easy access to cost-effective health care through a nationwide network of more than 672,000 health care professionals, including approximately 400,000 primary care and specialist doctors and 4,084 hospitals. For more information, please visit www.aetna.com. (Figures as of March 31, 2005)
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