Responding to concerns over anticompetitive practices, Jim Boyman, local Aetna Market President, reiterated the purpose of the plan is to use CVS’ store footprint to help consumers manage their health more easily.
However, CVS does expect some additional front-store revenue at its retail locations as a result of the plan design, and plans to expand Aetna Connected to other metro markets beyond the pilot in the Kansas City region on a to-be-determined timeline, Boyman said.
David Balto, former policy director of the Federal Trade Commission, noted the novel plan design would likely result in less choice and higher costs for employers and consumers.
Employers should be “extraordinarily careful” before signing up if they want to ensure workers access to a full range of healthcare services, Balto said. “CVS is moving toward a restricted market approach that would only be attractive in the Soviet Union. You have many choices, as long as they’re CVS.”
- CVS Health-owned Aetna on Monday rolled out a plan design that would steer patients toward its parent company’s brick-and-mortar locations — a key concern of antitrust regulators in reviewing the almost $69 billion megamerger that closed in 2019.
- The Aetna Connected plan gives members access to appointments at CVS’ MinuteClinics and its newer wellness-focused HealthHUBs for no copay, along with other CVS services like free at-home prescription delivery and discounts on health-related items.
- The plan is launching for 2021 in the Kansas City insurance market, which includes Clay, Jackson and Platte Counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wynadotte Counties in Kansas. It’s targeted to employers with more than 101 employees.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.