Does anyone have Aetna health insurance??

[skooooo]

Word is my employer is dropping our current health insurance provider (which is pretty good) to Aetna. Probably to some managed health care plan. Anyone know about Aetna health insurance? Good ? Bad? Ugly?

[gizmo1979]

1. I had Aetna

and it was much better than United healthcare which I have now.Not nearly as much paper work.

[vanlassie]

2. Probaby the best of the bunch.

[Lerkfish]

3. depends which flavor.

aetna functions in a variety of ways, depending on what your employee has negotiated. For over 12 years at a previous employer, I had the highest level Aetna plan, where I choose my doctors, etc. Right before I was laid off, they raised the deductible, and it also became a quasi-HMO like plan, but both flavors were due more to the employer's negotiations than Aetna itself, I believe.

I did have a car accident, where the initial broken collarbone was MRI'd and they didn't catch the shredding of the rotator cuff and Aetna fought like hell to prevent a second diagnostic test since it wasn't part of the original diagnosis, but otherwise they were pretty good.

[skooooo]

9. This will be for state employees..

...so I guess I'm hopeful after reading some of the responses here. Thanks.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. What makes your current provider good? It's apprantly too expensive for your employer.

Or do you mean your benefits are good?

You don't really have brand name loyalty to a provider, do you?

[skooooo]

10. Just wary of changeg I guess.

I've had a couple of surgeries that were pretty much paid for. I just hope my coverage doesn't erode.

[cabluedem]

5. Aetna cherry picks worse then Blue Cross/Sheild.

[skooooo]

11. Cherry picks what?

And is this based on your experiences?

[cabluedem]

30. Cherry pick those with little or no pre-existing conditions. Yes turned down for high cholesterol.nt

[RebelOne]

6. Had it until my employer switched to United Health Care.

I was satisfied with it. It paid just about all the costs of an operation I had to have on my foot. I haven't used the new insurance yet, but I have heard negative reports on it.

[Jazzgirl]

7. We had United Health Care.

Last year they switched to Aetna. They are much better than UHC which sucks. Our premiums didn't even go up this year.

[w8liftinglady]

8. I have Aetna POS 2.It is good

It does have a 2000 bank you use,after which they pay 80%.I see 4 different specialists,who are all covered.I've been satisfied so far.(No plan is perfect-I still have a lot of medical bills)

[skooooo]

13. Is their dental coverage any good?

The current insurance I have doesn't cover much as far as dentistry goes.

[w8liftinglady]

24. I still have to pay a lot

My boys had 3400 of dental care done,I paid 1700

[soothsayer]

25. If you can get Aetna high option, it rocks!

[SmileyRose]

12. I am SO sorry. I hope no one in your family gets sick

Well I would hope that anyway but especially on Aetna. They have a corporate culture of "delay deny and hope they die". The stress and hardships cause by those little fuckers in the midst of extreme medical crisis should be criminal.

I know from experience.

I have Kaiser now (non profit) - could not be happier.

[skooooo]

14. Your experience seems different than others' here...

Guess I'll have to wait and see. I will still have a choice between 2 or 3 carriers, actually. So...we'll see.

[SmileyRose]

16. I see that.

There is someone with chronic illness that is life threatening on a regular basis in my house. Aetna is the only one I had to call the state of Georgia about. Our troubles came because the contract Aetna had with the HMO firm expired while we were in the middle of a life threatening crisis. The only thing that saved me from sheer insanity was that Crawford Long Hospital had the good sense to completely ignore Aetna's demand they send a patient on the edge of life home - but we did end up filing bankruptcy because of those Aetna fuckers -- they eventually paid -- after the carnage of course.


Actually, to be honest, Medicare was the absolute bottom worst. We've had 4 different doctors along the way eventually stop taking Medicare because the payouts are way too small to justify the disgusting mountain of paperwork involved.

On the other hand, Kaiser is a closed HMO in my neck of the woods. If your doctor orders it, there's no question it will be provided and paid for.

[skooooo]

19. Kaiser sounds great...

Sorry you had such a bad experience. Medical bills seem to be the cause of most people's bankruptcy. Take care.

[Greybnk48]

15. Our Aetna plan is good.

I had major surgery two years ago, with complications, and I had to have a second abdominal surgery four days after the first. I was in the hospital for a total of seven days and I paid about $1500 out of pocket to the Surgeons (two different ones), anethesia, xray (for a CAT scan), and the Hospital for the room and supplies. My bill was about $15,000 to the hospital, not counting the others mentioned. I think that's pretty good.

For dental, my current Dentist charges too much so we usually have a high co-pay, e.g., I having a tooth crowned soon and I have to pay $450.

[skooooo]

22. I guess that's not too bad...

Although, after two major surgeries a few years ago, I think I ended up paying only about $600 out-of-pocket. And one was a high-faluting robotic heart surgery.

[Arkana]

17. I have it.

It's aight.

[LostinVA]

18. LOved it, then my cheapskate empoyer changed to Cigna, which is the suckage

[JerseygirlCT]

20. We've just started

I just had some pretty major surgery, so I guess this will be the test for us.

From what I've heard, they've been pretty good.

[Catshrink]

21. We have Aetna

until the end of June when we switch to United Health Care.

My only problem with Aetna was finding an orthopedic surgeon that takes it. But now, I'm going through the pre-op stuff to get my knee fixed, and it's fairly easy. There are copays but that's expected. I talked to one of the office people about the problem and they said Aetna pays, but they present the docs with a lot of paperwork. They much prefer dealing with UHC because it's more streamlined.

Our HR person helped me figure out whether it would be better to have the surgery in June with Aetna or wait until July and have it under UHC. It doesn't matter so I'm having the surgery in June just to get it done and have time to recuperate before school starts in July.

Other than a couple of doctor visits, lab work, and physical therapy associated with my stupid knee injury, I had to visit urgent care once when I sliced my finger open with gardening shears. They paid for everything, minus the copays, and I never had issues with lack of coverage.

Bottom line: from this patient's point of view, they've been fine.

[Occam Bandage]

23. I do. It's fine. nt

[WillowTree]

26. Aetna is one of the best. Get worried if they ever decide to change to...

....UniCare. They're the worst of the worst

[tritsofme]

27. We have had good luck with Aetna and Cigna for the past few years.

Although we have generally been more pleased since my employer changed to Cigna.

[MercutioATC]

28. I have an Aetna HMO.

(Government insurance...FEHBP)

I've been happy with it.

[rainbow4321]

29. I have it thru the county hospital I work for

And it's been great for me and the kids. I pay $108 per paycheck to cover all three of us. I've definitely got my money worth so far. A year ago I was hospitalized for 3 days with gallbladder problems, had to get it out. The hospital bill came to about $15,000..my portion of the bill: $100.
ER visits cost me $100 (no matter what gets done). I can go to any walk in clinic and only pay $25 (again, no matter what gets done during the visit--labs, etc...).
The hospital part of it has 3 tiers with the 3rd tier being an out of system hospital. I'd have to pay 30% if I chose one of those. I go to the private hospital that is next to (but owned by) the county hospital (my employer) and it is covered by the $100 deal.
They have a great website that keeps track of all your claims so you can keep track of any out of pocket expenses--tells what the facility charges Aetna, what the insurance pays, and your part of the bill.

Visits to specialty docs cost me $50 for an office visit.

My employer is good about what they pay, also. The amount of monthly premium each employee pays is based on a sliding scale using the worker's annual salary. So someone making less then, say, $25,000/yr gets the same coverage as someone making $65,000 with the only difference being the $25k/yr worker pays a lower monthly premium.

[tammywammy]

31. I've had Aetna for years and years

Never had a problem with them at all. I started having back problems when I was 18 (10 years ago) and I've never been turned down for MRIs, steroid injections, physical therapy, etc.

A few years ago, where I work I went on PacificCare, which was horrible I think they denied all claims and you had to fight to get something covered. Up until that point I was covered under my dad's insurance with Aetna. A year later the company I work for switched back to Aetna, never had a problem since.