Aetna, a leading global diversified health care benefits company, has launched a new suite of international healthcare plans (IHP) for employers with globally mobile employees.

Aetna has revamped its core health benefits plans to respond to customer and member needs and included its industry-leading health risk assessment free of charge as part of its package of wellness tools and resources to encourage employees to adopt healthy behaviours.

Employers can select from one of four base plans then choose from a menu of up to 49 additional benefits and limits.

This gives employers flexibility in providing private health care cover for employees working around the world to maximize their health care investment and manage costs, a statement said.

“We recognise that employers need a comprehensive level of core health benefits and flexibility in plan design in order to meet the needs of their varied employee populations," said Donna Otten, head of Aetna Global Benefits (AGB), the organisation’s international benefits segment.

"We have redesigned our health plans to provide a richer level of base benefits to work with different budgets and included wellness features to help employees make positive changes that can lead to lasting healthy lifestyles.”

“At the same time, we’ve provided the most flexible selection of add-ons and limits yet, so that employers can purchase the features they need to tailor benefits packages to cater for regionally diverse needs and make the most of their health care investments,” Otten added.

Employers taking advantage of this flexibility can provide different benefits for employees working in different regions, such as coverage for traditional Chinese medicine, or extended evacuation assistance for employees who travel more frequently than others, the statement said, noting that these employees can be covered on an alternate plan design.

The IHP Essential, IHP Plus and IHP Elite plans include new benefits of hospice care; vaccinations and inoculations; compassionate emergency travel enabling expatriates to return home should a close family member be taken seriously ill, and prosthesis coverage, depending on the plan chosen.

AGB also offers an IHP core plan design. The plans are available immediately in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong, and will be rolled out over the coming months in China, Jakarta and Singapore. – TradeArabia News Service