Aetna International, the global health benefits provider, has unveiled updates to its Summit and Pioneer plans that it said will enhance the mental health and wellbeing support available to its members around the world.
An Aetna spokesperson said 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 wellbeing on a day-to-day basis”.
The expanded range of mental health and wellbeing 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 international private medical insurance (iPMI) solution created for businesses, as well as Pioneer plans, iPMI designed for individuals and their families.
The updated offering continues to include benefits including
- Free access to Wysa, a mental wellbeing 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 wellbeing support
- Access to Aetna International’s 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 wellbeing support, member offers on Mind and Body self-care solutions, expert content and links to Aetna International’s Care and Response Excellence team for 24/7 health and wellbeing clinical support
The new updates include access to Aetna Mind: a holistic approach to supporting members with evidence-based tools and support, from 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. In addition, 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 the updates reflect the organisation’s “commitment to ensuring that mental health is valued and prioritised in the same way as physical health for both corporate and individual members”.
Lenihan said: “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.”