Aetna is the fourth-largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans
[1]
. A CVS Health company since 2018, Aetna offers a strong array of benefits, with most Aetna Medicare Advantage plans including dental, vision and hearing coverage, and many plans offering additional (and valuable) perks. The plans are also largely low cost, with an estimated 84% of Medicare beneficiaries having access to a $0 premium Aetna plan.

Although the company's offerings are notable, Aetna Medicare Advantage plans score in the “average” range for member satisfaction and quality of care. Here’s what you should know about Aetna Medicare Advantage.

Aetna Medicare Advantage pros and cons
Aetna’s offerings have advantages and disadvantages.

Pros
Multiple benefits offerings: In addition to dental, vision and hearing, Aetna Medicare beneficiaries in many plans have access to benefits such as an over-the-counter allowance, meal delivery services and in-home health visits.

Strong $0 premium offerings: In 2023, Aetna estimates that 84% of Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the U.S. have access to a $0-monthly-premium Aetna Medicare Advantage plan.

Broad availability: Aetna offers Medicare Advantage plans in 46 states and Washington, D.C., as well as stand-alone drug plans in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.

Drug savings: All Aetna Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans come with a $0 deductible for all Tier 1 drugs, and nearly all offer a $0 copay on Tier 1 drugs. Aetna’s most popular formulary is also moving almost 300 drugs to lower-cost tiers.

Cons
Average star ratings: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gives Aetna’s 2023 Medicare Advantage plans an average weighted rating of 3.67 out of 5 stars. (The national average for all providers is 4.15.)

Mediocre member love: When it comes to member satisfaction, J.D. Power found that Aetna Medicare Advantage scored 796 points out of 1,000, below the industry average of 809. That places it sixth overall out of nine Medicare Advantage companies ranked.

» MORE: Best Medicare Advantage plans
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Available Medicare Advantage plans
Aetna offers several kinds of Medicare Advantage plans, and they vary in structure, costs and benefits. Most plans offer dental, vision and hearing benefits as well as fitness benefits through SilverSneakers.

In general, Aetna offers Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans, or MAPDs, as well as stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans without drug coverage. The company has expanded its Medicare Advantage plan for veterans — Aetna Medicare Eagle — to 42 states in 2023. The plan is designed to complement the health care coverage veterans receive from the VA.

Aetna also introduced the Aetna Medicare Longevity Plan in Pennsylvania in 2023. This is an Institutional Special Needs Plan, which is meant for members who live in nursing homes.

Plan availability may vary by county. Other plan offerings may include the following types:

HMO plans

HMO-POS plans

PPO plans

D-SNPs

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Additional benefits
Aetna Medicare Advantage offers most members access to routine vision, dental and hearing coverage. Some of its plans offer added benefits, many of which aren’t available in other Medicare Advantage plans. Here are a few standouts:

Fitness benefits: Many plans include SilverSneakers, which gives you access to participating gyms, community centers, online fitness classes, healthy living discounts and a fitness app, among other things.

In-home health visits: Some beneficiaries can request an in-person home health visit or telehealth call as an added convenience.

Concierge services for local resources: Aetna’s Resources for Living program can help beneficiaries find the support they need, whether that’s assistance at home, caregiver resources or help finding local activities.

Over-the-counter benefit: Some plans include an OTC benefit that allows you to pick up certain items, like vitamins and cold medications, from participating drugstores (or online) at no extra cost.

Meals at home: After you have a hospital stay, some plans offer to bring healthy meals to you to help you recuperate.

Telehealth: All 2023 plans offer virtual visits for primary care, urgent care and specialty care as well as mental health services. Telehealth is also available for physical, occupational and speech therapy, substance abuse treatment, kidney disease education and diabetes self-management training services.

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Limited-area extras
Aetna Medicare Advantage also offers some benefit programs that are available for only a few plans in select locations, including the following:

Companionship benefit: In some D-SNP plans, Aetna pairs members with a companion who can help them run errands or keep them company for up to 10 hours per month.

Extra Benefits Card: Some members will have access to a preloaded debit card that can be used for over-the-counter items, healthy foods, utilities or transportation.

Memory Fitness: Some members will have access to a library of brain games and exercises as well as information on brain health.

Fresh Food Boxes: Certain members will be eligible to get a box of fresh fruits and vegetables at regular intervals, such as biweekly or monthly.

Fall prevention: In some Medicare Advantage plans, some members are eligible for a yearly allowance they can use for safety items that may decrease the risk of injuries from falls.

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Customer service
Aetna Medicare Advantage members can contact their plan’s customer service in several ways:

Call the main national service number, available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time daily, at 855-335-1407 (TTY: 711).

Find the specific phone number for their plan.

Request a call.

Send an email.

Join an online or in-person member seminar.

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Aetna Medicare Advantage service area
Aetna offers Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in 46 states and Washington, D.C., including 2,014 counties
[2]
.

Aetna expanded its Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan to 30 states, and the Aetna Medicare Eagle plans — veteran-specific Medicare Advantage offerings — are available in 42 states.

Aetna is the third-largest for-profit Medicare Advantage provider, with more than 3.2 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Aetna Medicare Advantage plans as of October 2022. The company added 287,000 members for the 2023 plan year, according to a report from health care analytics firm The Chartis Group
[3]
.

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Costs
Costs for Medicare Advantage plans will depend on your plan, geographic location and health needs. One of the costs to consider is the plan’s premium, and Aetna has expanded its offering of $0 premium plans: Nearly three-quarters (74%) of plans in 2023 have no premium, and the company estimates that 84% of Medicare-eligible beneficiaries have access to a $0-monthly-premium Aetna Medicare Advantage plan.

For 2023 Medicare Advantage plans with a premium, the monthly consolidated premium (including Part C and Part D) ranges from $7 to $198
[4]
. For special needs plans, or SNPs, monthly premiums range from $8.50 to $41.00.

Even as a Medicare Advantage user, you’ll still be responsible for paying your Medicare Part B premium, which is $164.90 per month in 2023, although some plans cover part or all of this cost.

Other out-of-pocket costs to consider include:

Whether the plan covers any part of your monthly Medicare Part B premium.

The plan’s yearly deductibles and any other deductibles, such as a drug deductible.

Copayments and/or coinsurance for each visit or service. For instance, there may be a $10 copay for seeing your primary doctor and a $45 copay for seeing a specialist.

The plan’s in-network and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximums.

Whether your medical providers are in-network or out-of-network, or how often you may go out-of-network for care.

Whether you require extra benefits, and whether the plan charges for them.

To get a sense of costs, use Medicare’s plan finding tool to compare information among available plans in your area. You can select by insurance carrier to see only Aetna plans or compare across carriers. You can also shop directly from Aetna’s website by entering your ZIP code.

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Medicare star ratings
Average star rating, weighted by enrollment: 3.67

If you want Medicare’s take on Aetna’s plans, look no further than the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' own star ratings, which rank each plan from best (5 stars) to worst (1 star). The agency bases these ratings on plans’ quality of care and measurements of customer satisfaction, and ratings may change from year to year.

All Medicare Advantage plans are evaluated on health plan measures, and Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage are also evaluated on drug plan measures. Based on the most recent year of data and weighted by enrollment, Aetna’s 2023 Medicare Advantage plans get an average rating of 3.67 stars
[5]
.

For comparison, the average star rating for plans from all providers for 2023 is 4.15
[6]
.

Of Aetna members who are in contracts with a Medicare star rating, 85% are in contracts rated 4.0 or above as of September 2022
[7]
.