Aetna International Introduces New Mental Health Benefits To Its Core iPMI Offering ^Featured

Aetna International, a leading provider of global health benefits, has today announced new updates to its Summit and Pioneer plans that will enhance the mental health and well-being support available to its global members.

The updates are part of the company’s wider commitment to addressing the growing mental health challenges associated with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and are designed to provide members with an easy, accessible way to look after their mental well-being on a day-to-day basis.

The expanded range of mental health and well-being benefits are designed to support members on their health journey, from discovery and growth to mental health treatment and support. They are applicable to Summit plans, a flexible IPMI solution created for businesses, as well as Pioneer plans, IPMI designed for individuals and their families.

The new updates include access to Aetna Mind: a holistic approach to supporting members with evidence-based tools and support, from an award winning conversational chatbot app (Wysa) to Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) counsellors as well as clinical support via vHealth Doctors where eligible. EAP telephony and face-to-face counselling is now also included across all Summit plan levels and for Individual members as a new Member Assistance Programme (MAP). Additionally, co-pays no longer apply to psychiatric treatment and inpatient psychiatric treatment will now be included in both Summit and Pioneer 1750 plans as a standard benefit.

Damian Lenihan, Executive Director Europe at Aetna International said, “Our aim is to support businesses and individuals by ensuring they have access to the mental health support they need during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. These updates reflect our commitment to ensuring that mental health is valued and prioritised in the same way as physical health for both corporate and individual members.”

“In 2021 we want to focus on the challenges of mental health. Throughout the year our ‘Building better mental health together’ programme will focus on just that; how we can tackle the mental health challenges we all face, both internally with our employees as well as externally with our customers and members. We want to ensure everyone has access to the care and help they need wherever they are on their journey, which is why we are tailoring our products to help meet the short- and long-term mental health needs of our members.”

The updated offering continues to include benefits such as:

• Free access to Wysa, a mental well-being app that provides anonymous chat support, self-guided exercises and in app coaching – now including Covid anxiety modules, an enhanced therapist led coaching programme and access to over 13s for adolescent mental well-being support
• Access to Aetna International’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Access to vHealth: Eligible members will have access to a doctor via phone or video link as part of Aetna’s virtual health platform for consultation, diagnosis and onward referral
• Free access to myStrength, an interactive and personalised app that helps address stress, anxiety, chronic pain and more
• Access to Health Hub for further well-being support, member offers on Mind and Body self-care solutions, expert content and links to Aetna International’s Care and Response Excellence (CARE) team for 24/7 health and well-being clinical support

Aetna International is committed to helping create a stronger, healthier global community by delivering comprehensive health care benefits and population health solutions worldwide. One of the largest providers of international private medical insurance, Aetna International serves almost 900,000 members worldwide, including expatriates, local nationals and business travelers. Its global benefits include medical, dental, vision and emergency assistance and, in some regions, life and disability. Aetna International also offers customised technological and health management solutions for health care systems, government entities and large employers to improve people’s health, enhance quality of care and contain costs. Aetna International is a subsidiary of Aetna, a CVS Health company, which serves an estimated 34 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care.

For more information, see www.aetnainternational.com or LinkedIn.