People are paying more of their health care costs these days. It’s no wonder there is a lot of interest in keeping these costs down.

A smart way to do this is to avoid using doctors and hospitals that are “out of network.” We do not have a contract for reduced rates with an out-of-network doctor or hospital. So you could end up with higher costs and more work.

Why out-of-network costs more

There are many reasons you probably will pay more out of pocket:

The health plan pays less

• Your Aetna health benefits or insurance plan may pay part of the doctor’s bill. But it pays less of the bill than if you get care from a network doctor.
• Some plans may not pay any benefits if you go out of network. Some plans cover out-of-network care only in an emergency.

Cost sharing is more

With most plans, your coinsurance is higher for out-of-network care.  Coinsurance is the part of the covered service you pay for (e.g. the plan pays 80% of the covered amount and you pay 20% coinsurance).

Out-of-network rates are higher

• An out-of-network doctor sets the rate to charge you. It is usually higher than the amount your Aetna plan “recognizes” or “allows.”
• An out-of-network doctor can bill you for anything over the amount that Aetna recognizes or allows. This is called “balance billing.” A network doctor has agreed not to do that.
• We do not base our payments on what the out-of-network doctor bills you. We do not know in advance what the doctor will charge.

Deductibles are separate, higher

• What you pay when you are balance billed does not count toward your deductible.  And it is not part of any cap your plan has on how much you have to pay for covered services.
• Many plans have a separate out-of-network deductible. This is higher than your in-network deductible (sometimes, you have no deductible at all for care in the network). You must meet the out-of-network deductible before your plan pays any out-of-network benefits.

You’ll have more work, too

Plus, when you visit an out-of-network doctor, you handle precertification, if needed. This means more time and more paperwork for you.

Know your costs before you go

Before you decide where to receive care, look up your estimated costs for that care if you were to stay in-network. It’s easy with our cost of care tools. If you’re a member, log in to your secure Aetna Navigator® website to use these tools.

We do not know what an out-of-network doctor will charge you.  Check with your out-of-network doctor what they will charge you.  Then make a decision based on what is right for you.

You are covered for emergency care

Sometimes, you don’t have a choice about where you go for care. Like if you go to the emergency room for a heart attack. When you need emergency care, some of our plans pay the bill as if you got care in network. For those plans, you pay cost sharing and deductibles based on your in-network level of benefits. You do not have to pay anything else. Other plans pay the bill differently. Under those plans, you may be responsible for more than your in-network cost sharing. The additional amounts could be very large.

To find out how emergency services are covered under your plan, look at your health plan document called “Certificate of Coverage” or “Summary Plan Description.” Or contact us at the number on your member card.

How we determine what to pay for out-of-network care

The plan you or your employer pick determines how much you pay for care out of the network. The exact amount depends on the:

• Method your plan uses to set the recognized or allowed amount
• Percent of the allowed amount to be paid by the plan (like 80% or 60%)
• To find the method and percent, check your plan documents. Or call Member Services at the toll-free number on your ID card.

Take a look at some examples of how your benefits pay for care.

How health benefits are paid:

Medicare-based rates

“Reasonable Charge” and “Prevailing Charge”

Aetna Out-Of-Network Rates (also called Aetna Market Fee Schedule in some plans)

How behavioral health benefits are paid:

Medicare-based rates

“Reasonable Charge” and “Prevailing Charge”

Aetna Out-Of-Network Rates (also called Aetna Market Fee Schedule in some plans)

How dental benefits are paid:

“Reasonable Charge” and “Prevailing Charge”

Want to stay in our Network?

• Ask your doctor to refer you to a provider (e.g. hospital, surgical center, specialist) in Aetna’s network
• Login to DocFind to determine what doctors and hospitals are in Aetna’s network

Still have questions?

• Contact us by e-mail on your secure member website at www.aetnanavigator.com
• Call us at the number on the back of your ID card.

Some out-of-network care is discounted

Does your Aetna ID card have “NAP” on the front? That stands for National Advantage™ Program. And it has benefits for you:

• You can get discounts for out-of-network care. Your out-of-pocket costs may be less than your costs for seeing other providers who are out of network.
• If you get care from a NAP provider, some doctors or hospitals might not balance bill you. This is true even though the NAP provider is out of network.

Check your most recent ID card to see whether your plan has the program. Some plans that used to have NAP no longer have the program.

Do you have large out-of-network claims?

Did you go to an out-of-network doctor or hospital, and then get surprised with a very large bill? Sometimes a provider will allow you to pay a reduced fee. Sometimes they will work out a payment plan for you. You may be able to work this out with the provider by yourself.  You also can get professional support.  Here’s how that works.

You can get that support if you:

• Used your out-of-network benefits
• Did not receive a discount through the NAP program, and
• Have more than $1,000 in out-of-pocket costs for a single health care event AFTER your deductible, copay or coinsurance

As an Aetna member, you can get discounted services with a claims negotiating company. The company, the Karis Group, has been helping individuals with outstanding medical bills nationally since 1996.

For an affordable fee, the Karis Group will negotiate with the provider for you. They may be able to reduce the amount you owe or arrange a payment plan. They also may be able to qualify you for programs to resolve your balance due.

As an Aetna member, you will receive a large discount for these services. They can’t guarantee they will be successful. But if they don’t get any results for you, they will refund your fee.

Are you interested in this service? Here’s how you can learn more:

• Visit the Karis Group site online
  
• Call the Karis Group at 877-261-3791 Monday through Friday from 9 - 5 Central time.

While Aetna has arranged for this discount for our members, we are not part of any agreements between our members and the Karis Group.  We honor your privacy.  We do not share our member information with the Karis Group.