IndiaPost.com - Aetna announces health care plans for ethnic small business owners

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In a bid to reach out to the diverse ethnic and racial communities across New York City, Aetna, a leading healthcare benefits company, has announced an innovative new plan specifically designed for small business owners.

The NYC Community Plan, as the package is called, is aimed at reducing cultural barriers, giving preventive care, and making health benefits more affordable for small businesses whose employees live and/or work and access health care in New York City's five boroughs. The NYC Community Plan also targets cultural disparities in health care by utilizing local physicians and diverse Aetna sales and service teams who live and work in the community and are more familiar with the health care needs, preferences and the overall environment in New York communities.

"Our goal is to provide affordable health care-affordable not only to employers but also to employees," said Katherine N. Begley, president, Aetna Small Group, Northeast Region, addressing the large group of ethnic media reporters at a press conference at Pace University's Michael Schimmel center in Lower Manhattan on Nov 6.

Announcing the benefits of this unique comprehensive package, Miguel Centeno, vice president of business development in Aetna's New York market said, "To meet the needs of people in this city, you first have to understand the world they live in, the languages they speak, and the challenges they face.

We've designed the NYC community Plan to provide more than just insurance." Aetna will draw on its expertise in addressing community issues, such as racial and ethnic disparities in health care, Centeno said. The company will make it easier for diverse people to obtain access to culturally appropriate information and health care.

Aetna's wellness and disease management programs offer outreach and support that are culturally sensitive, and plan materials are being developed in different languages. Having launched the plan for the African American, Hispanic and Asian communities, Aetna is now moving to extend the effort to specifically focus on South Asian Americans in New York and northern New Jersey early next year, according to Katharine N. Begley, President of Aetna Small Group Northeast Region.

"Going into 2008, we are going to have a specific effort focused on South Asians, a large number of who are small business owners in New York and New Jersey," Begley told India Post. "While the current product itself would be ideal for them, we haven't yet addressed the South Asian community's language needs. We have also to do research on the South Asian physician groups who would be willing to partner with us in this plan."

Begley said the biggest issue for small business owners is retention of employees because of their inability to afford health insurance for them. "We wanted to get something affordable out there and also focus on the overall wellness and disease management programs for employees as it helps increase productivity at work," she said. In terms of rates, Begley said Aetna's Community Plan falls between the subsidized family health plans and the expensive commercial health insurance plans.

"This covers people who make too much money to qualify for any state or federal subsidized plan, but don't make enough to go for more commercial insurance. This covers the gap." The NYC Community Plan makes health care more affordable by using a smaller network of providers.

In exchange for receiving care through the newly formed NYC Community Plan Referred Network, Aetna members will receive preventive care at 100 percent, with no co-pays, at a significantly reduced premium.

And by covering preventive care at 100 percent, Aetna is removing a financial barrier for many employees, helping to increase access and encourage people to take advantage of wellness programs and preventive screenings. The plan will be offered in Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.