Hartford health insurer Aetna is touting its consumer-directed health plans as a money saver for for employers, concluding such plans saved nearly $350 per member per year.
The lower health care costs were detailed in a recently released study by Aenta that said the company’s consumer-directed plans resulted in a savings of $20.8 million over a six-year period for every 10,000 members.
Members with Aetna HealthFund plans spent less on most types of health care services, including specialist doctor’s visits, emergency room visits and total pharmacy costs, the study said.
Despite lower overall health care costs, members with Aetna HealthFund plans also received routine preventive care from their primary care doctors 11 percent more than members with traditional Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans.
Aetna HealthFund members also had higher rates of screenings for cervical cancer (nearly 7 percent higher), colorectal cancer (8 percent), and prostate cancer (10 percent), as well as mammograms (6 percent) and immunizations (3 percent).
