Aetna: A brief introduction and history
Aetna, formed in the 1800s, provided insurance to the government during the First World War, created the very first insurer-owned rehabilitation clinic for disabled workers in Syracuse, NY, and paid the first Medicare claim in the country in 1966. Since its incorporation, Aetna has also achieved several milestones, like being the first to support the new diabetes screening guidelines endorsed by the American Diabetes Association and the first to follow new mammogram screening guidelines established by the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.
Now, as a part of CVS Health (since 2018), Aetna offers health plans and benefits to consumers nationwide. Aetna provides access to participating walk-in clinics, including over 1,000 MinuteClinic locations, at-home health support, 24/7 virtual care, and extra plan benefits such as mental health support and fitness reimbursement.
What health plans does Aetna offer?
Some plans offered by Aetna include the following:
- Commercial health coverage: Aetna offers comprehensive clinical programs and health and wellness solutions to benefit employer groups, individuals, part-time and hourly workers, and labor groups.
- Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans for individuals and families: These plans offer benefits like preventive screenings and virtual care at zero cost and up to $100 allowance to shop over-the-counter CVS Health brand wellness products.
- Medicare plans: Includes Medicare Advantage plans, Aetna prescription drug plans to pay for outpatient drugs, vaccines, and other medical supplies, and Medicare supplement plans for some costs not covered by original Medicare (Parts A and B).
- Medicaid plans: These plans offer health insurance to eligible low-income adults, children, seniors, pregnant women, and people with disabilities.
- Vision and dental plans.
Deciding the type of health insurance you need can be challenging. If you are new to health insurance and need help understanding insurance jargon, you can start by reading Zocdoc's Health Insurance 101 guide.
Type of eye doctors and eye care specialists
Many specialists can provide eye care. However, their training and levels of expertise vary widely.
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor with extensive training in advanced surgical and medical care for a wide range of minor and complex eye problems, including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, eye injuries, and retinal detachment. They prescribe medication and can also diagnose other health problems that may not be directly related to your eyes but can be detected through an eye exam. Some of these conditions include - heart disease, diabetes, lupus, myasthenia gravis, and multiple sclerosis.
Unlike an ophthalmologist, an optometrist is not a medical doctor, but they complete a doctoral degree in optometry (OD). These specialists provide primary vision care, which includes vision testing, dispensing corrective lenses, detecting certain types of eye abnormalities, and prescribing medications for certain eye conditions in some states.
Another eye care specialist is an optician who does not diagnose eye diseases or write medical prescriptions but provides design and fitting for eyeglasses, contact lenses, frames, and other devices to correct eyesight. These technicians use prescriptions given by ophthalmologists or optometrists.
Some other healthcare professionals you may see in an ophthalmologist's office include ophthalmic medical assistants, ophthalmic technicians who assist with minor procedures, ophthalmic photographers, and ophthalmic registered nurses.
If you are looking for eye doctors that accept Aetna, visit Zocdoc to find the right provider near you.
What vision plans does Aetna offer? What are the benefits?
Currently, Aetna offers Aetna Vision Preferred, which is now available as an add-on option to the Aetna Dental Direct plan. Note that this option is not available in the following states: IL, KS, MA, MO, NY, VA, or WA.
Member benefits and services include:
- Eye exams (with dilation if necessary) at zero deductibles and no waiting period
- Routine eye exams
- Access to thousands of in-network providers
- Online appointment scheduling
- Coverage for national retailers like LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, and Target Optical and access to online retailers like CVS Optical, Glasses.com, Contacts Direct, and Ray-Ban
- Access to exclusive and additional discounts like 40% off an extra pair of eyeglasses, 20% off non-prescription sunglasses and accessories, and discounts on LASIK laser vision correction
- Coverage for out-of-network providers
- Plans also include allowances for Single, bifocal, trifocal, or lenticular eyeglass lenses and options like scratch-resistant lenses, UV protection, anti-glare, and tinted lenses.
Find eye doctors that accept Aetna
Zocdoc helps patients all over the nation find the best healthcare professionals that match their needs and preferences. With Zocdoc's help, you can find an eye specialist right from the comfort of your home and book an in-person or video consultation based on your schedule and your provider's availability.
To book an appointment, visit the Zocdoc website and enter your condition or symptoms, location, and insurance plan. Then, browse the list of top-rated eye doctors and filter the displayed search results based on your preferences. You can select providers based on gender, time of day, hospital affiliation, languages spoken, distance, and whether a provider treats children.
Select your insurance carrier and plan in the drop-down menu to filter the list of eye doctors that accept Aetna. If you can’t find your particular plan, upload an image of your insurance card. Zocdoc will then scan the image of your card and display your likely plan. Note this is only applicable to medical insurance cards. Dental and vision are excluded. If you need help uploading your card or have other unanswered questions, contact Zocdoc's service team. You can also go through Zocdoc's patient help center for more insurance-related information.
All bookings on Zocdoc are fast, free, and secure!
Vision and eye health
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vision disability is one of the top ten disabilities diagnosed among adults aged 18 years and older. Based on the 2022 American Community Survey data collated by the CDC, nearly 2.57% of the country's population had reported being blind or having severe difficulty seeing even while wearing glasses. Medicare (Fee for Service) claims data assessed in 2019 estimated the country’s annual prevalence of diagnosed blindness and low vision at 0.19%. Nearly 34.22% had cataracts, and 3.11% were diagnosed with diabetic eye diseases. Additionally, glaucoma affects about 3 million Americans.
When it came to utilizing vision care services, Medicare Claims data showed that nearly 45% of beneficiaries had an eye exam in 2019. About 29.63% of individuals had an eye exam conducted by an ophthalmologist or other physicians, and 21% had an eye exam performed by an optometrist or optician. An estimated 0.20% had a vision or eye disease screening claim in 2019. According to data collected by The Vision Council, there are 197.6 million (75.6%) adult vision correction users in the U.S.
An American Academy of Ophthalmology Journal report revealed that barriers to comprehensive eye care included insurance and scant reimbursement from all major insurance companies, including Medicaid and Medicare. Compared to urban residents, residents of rural communities had much lower rates of eye care insurance coverage and subsequent eye care usage.
How many people in the country have health insurance? How many benefit from Aetna and CVS Health?
According to one-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates collated by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022, nearly 92% of the country's population had health insurance. Approximately 8% of the population was uninsured in 2022. The following age groups had the highest percentage of uninsured individuals: 26 to 34 years (14.1%), 19 to 25 years (13%), and 35 to 44 years (12%).
Approximately 39 million individuals rely on Aetna for their health insurance plans and services. Aetna International serves over 200 countries and territories and has a network of more than 2.2 million providers worldwide.
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