What is Aetna?
Aetna is a prominent CVS health insurance provider that serves approximately 39 million individuals, offering comprehensive coverage and innovative solutions tailored to the diverse needs of individuals, families, and employers. With a long-standing history of over 170 years, Aetna is well known for delivering quality care and promoting wellness through an extensive network of providers and advanced technology.
The range of healthcare plans offered by Aetna includes dental insurance, individual ACA plans, vision insurance, Medicare plans, employer health insurance, and accident and critical illness coverage. From preventive services to specialized treatments across various medical fields, such as primary care, dermatology, dentistry, psychology, and women's health, Aetna remains dedicated to enhancing health outcomes and the overall well-being of its members.
What kinds of insurance does Aetna offer women?
Aetna offers diverse insurance plans centered explicitly around women’s physical, mental, and sexual health. The health plans cover women’s physical and heart health, mental health and well-being, reproductive and sexual health, and menopause and healthy aging.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is responsible for the maximum number of deaths among women in the U.S. Atena health plans cover a lot of benefits, such as heart disease screenings, smoking cessation programs, discounted blood pressure monitors, and lifestyle and condition coaching.
Aetna also offers women a variety of plans centered around mental health challenges such as transitioning into adulthood, infertility challenges, perinatal or postpartum depression, menopause, and stress from caregiving.
Most Aetna medical plans cover life-saving preventive programs for women at no extra cost. The screening services include pelvic and breast exams, pap smears, mammograms, and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
What are deductibles and coinsurance?
When you purchase an insurance policy, you may come across terms such as deductibles and coinsurance. Let's learn here what these terms mean.
Before the benefits of any insurance policy kick in, the insured must pay a specific amount known as an insurance deductible. This amount is in addition to the insurance premiums. It is mandated by the insurance companies to ensure that the policyholders take responsibility for a portion of the costs. Generally, health plans with higher premiums have lower deductibles and vice versa. Once the specified deductible is paid in full, the insurance company pays for some or all of the claims during future health consultations.
Coinsurance is a fixed percentage of the amount the insured must bear towards a covered expense. The coinsurance comes in only after the deductible has been paid in full. The policyholders, also known as copays, must pay a certain percentage of the fees to avail of the insurance benefits. The most commonly used breakdown is the 80/20 split, wherein the insurance company pays 80% of the amount, and the insured person takes care of the remaining 20% every time a service under the insurance plan is availed.
You can peruse our comprehensive guide to learn more about insurance terminology.
Who is a primary care doctor?
Primary care mainly addresses personal healthcare needs, develops sustained patient-healthcare system partnerships, and practices community and family healthcare. Primary care is patient-based, community-aligned, and team-based. It also helps achieve better care and optimum health at lower medical costs.
Primary care doctors or physicians (PCPs) are the first point of contact for the patient with the healthcare system. Primary care doctors identify the risk factors and help prevent diseases. They can assist in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, manage health concerns, screen for illnesses, and refer patients to specialists.
Primary care doctors take the continuing responsibility to provide comprehensive care to patients. It mainly includes preventive, acute, and chronic care services in outpatient and inpatient settings. They are trained explicitly through fellowship or residency training to provide patients with the best medical care needed.
Educational qualification and training of a primary care physician
Primary care physicians complete rigorous education and training programs. A four-year undergraduate training to become a doctor includes biology, chemistry, and other relevant subjects.
A four-year medical school is the second step, where students take anatomy and physiology classes as part of their curriculum. They also participate in several clinical rotations where they can learn about different medical specializations.
After graduating from medical school, a primary care physician finishes a residency program in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, or gynecology. The residency program lasts three years or less. Several family physicians start their practice after completing residency. Some medical professionals select fellowship programs that offer in-depth study in a specific area of medicine, such as obstetrics or preventive medicine. After the residency term, these fellowship programs continue for 12 months.
Types of primary care doctors
Primary care doctors specialize in various fields or subspecialties.
- Family doctors: A family doctor receives training in pediatrics, adult medicine, obstetrics, musculoskeletal care, and geriatric medicine. They can treat patients of all ages. As per the Healthline website, children generally account for nearly 10% to 15% of patients who see a family doctor.
- Pediatricians: A pediatrician specializes in providing healthcare to infants, children, and adolescents up to age 21. Some pediatricians may choose to specialize further in pediatric cardiology or neurology.
- Internists: An internist is a doctor specializing in treating adults and practicing internal medicine. They can effectively treat many chronic and acute conditions in patients. An internist has comprehensive rheumatology, endocrinology, geriatrics, orthopedics, neurology, and rehabilitation training.
- Obstetrician-gynecologists (OB-GYN): OB-GYNs undergo special training on women's health and have specific expertise in pregnancy, postpartum conditions, reproductive health, and childbirth. A few OB-GYNs may also provide general care services like family doctors or internists, but most focus only on female reproductive health.
- Geriatricians: A geriatrician is a specialist doctor with advanced training in treating older adults. They can effectively treat dementia, balance issues, insomnia, and other health issues in older adults. According to the Healthline website, the U.S. has only 7,123 certified and licensed geriatricians.
What should you expect when visiting an Aetna primary care doctor near you?
It can be nerve-wracking to visit a primary care doctor for the first time, but it's an essential step toward taking control of your health. During your first consultation, you must complete paperwork, including a medical history form and information about your insurance. This paperwork is essential as it helps your doctor better understand your health and plan appropriate treatment.
Upon completing your paperwork, your doctor will review your medical history with you in detail. They may inquire about any past illness, injury, surgery, and symptoms you're experiencing at present. They'll also ask about your family medical history, which can provide important information about potential genetic risks.
You must undergo a physical examination after your doctor thoroughly reviews your medical history. Physical examination may include checking your vital signs, such as your blood pressure and heart rate, and examining your ears, nose, and throat. They may also ask you to move around or perform basic exercises to check your mobility and flexibility.
After the preliminary tests, your doctor may order imaging scans, prescribe medications if necessary, or educate you on lifestyle changes.
Being honest with your primary care doctor about your health concerns is essential. Together, you can develop a plan to maintain your health.
Aetna primary care doctors near you in Saint Antonio, TX
Are you currently looking for an experienced and knowledgeable primary care physician? In that case, you are in the right place. Using Zocdoc, you can instantly set up appointments with the top primary care doctors in San Antonio. The first step is to create a free account on the Zocdoc website to get started. You can easily find doctors based on various criteria, such as their specialty (primary care doctors), location (San Antonio), accepted insurance (Aetna), availability for appointments, and the symptoms you are experiencing.
Patients can use Zocdoc to get to know their doctors better and make appointments with the best ones. Each provider on the Zocdoc platform has a distinct profile to enable this. These comprise brief biographies, educational backgrounds, certifications, accreditations, visitations, accepted insurances, and open appointment times. Based on your search criteria, a comprehensive list of in-network primary care doctors will appear.
You can refine your search by reviewing verified patient reviews and user ratings. With Zocdoc, you can also schedule an appointment with your primary care physician before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m., based on the provider's availability.
To learn more, you can check out Zocdoc's insurance checker and the article on the role of insurance during video visits.
Booking appointments with Aetna primary care doctors near you using Zocdoc is safe, secure, and 100% free!
Statistics on Aetna, primary care providers, and multiple chronic conditions in Texas and the U.S.
According to the Texas Department of Insurance, in 2022, Aetna Life Insurance Company and Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company were among Texas's top forty insurance companies. Aetna Life Insurance Company was at number six with a market share of 4.73%, and Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company was at number ten with a market share of 1.71%.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates that as of May 2022, there were about 8,770 licensed family medicine physicians, 3,460 general internal medicine physicians, and 1,550 obstetricians and gynecologists in Texas.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following are statistics on some of the conditions that primary care doctors treat most frequently:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure):
Over 691,095 deaths in the U.S. were caused primarily by hypertension in 2021. Approximately 48.1% of adults in the country, totaling 119.9 million individuals, are afflicted with hypertension, characterized by a systolic blood pressure surpassing 130 mmHg, a diastolic blood pressure exceeding 80 mmHg, or those who use hypertension medication. Among adults grappling
with hypertension, about 22.5%, comprising around 27.0 million individuals,
effectively manage their condition.
Roughly 38.4 million individuals in the United States are affected by diabetes, and 8.7 million are unaware of their condition. The organization also stated that approximately 97.6 million U.S. adults have prediabetes, and the majority are unaware of it. Diabetes, potentially underreported, ranks as the eighth leading cause of death in the country.
Sources
Healthline
WebMD
American Academy of Family Physicians[1]
American Academy of Family Physicians[2]
Cleveland Clinic
Aetna Inc.[1]
Aetna Inc.[2]
Aetna Inc.[3]
Aetna Inc.[4]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[1]
Investopedia[1]
Investopedia[2]
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Texas Department of Insurance
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[2]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[3]
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