English
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek
Our take
Aetna is worth considering if you’re looking for an insurance provider with a big coverage area and good prices. The company ranked the highest for affordability. It wasn’t singled out for being top of class in other categories, but it scored well in such key areas as trustworthiness.
The company received a strong 3.5 out of 5 stars from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. NCQA evaluates healthcare plans on, among other things, member satisfaction.
Overall, Aetna ranked No. 3 in Insure.com’s ranking of the Best Health Insurance Companies of 2023.
Below is Insure.com’s review of the company. It’s based on third-party metrics and an in-depth survey of insurance customers. Find the full methodology here, including an explanation of our survey scores.
Pros and Cons
- Rated highly for affordability
- Among the most trusted health insurers
- It’s expanding its digital offerings
- Customers didn’t rate its policy offerings as highly as other companies
- Its provider network was also not rated as strongly as others
How much does Aetna insurance cost?
Aetna was rated highly for affordability in Insure.com’s survey of insurance consumers. And the company offers competitive market prices.
| Insurance company | Rank for price/affordability among Insure.com’s top 10 |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 1 |
| UnitedHealthcare | 2 (tie) |
| Cigna | 2 (tie) |
Aetna offers competitive rates, but so do other insurers. Below is a look at how Aetna’s rates in Florida compare with those of Florida Blue for a similar plan. These are 2023 healthcare exchange rates for a single, 40-year-old male in excellent health with an annual income of $70,000.
| Insurance company | Rate / Month | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Aetna | $359 | Bronze S – HMO |
| Florida Blue | $358 | myBlue Bronze 2311S – HMO |
How Aetna scores for customer satisfaction
Our survey found that 87% of Aetna’s customers think it does a good job at delivering customer satisfaction. That’s pretty good, and it beat some insurers, such as Anthem. It and Anthem had the same average J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study score, but Kaiser did better in that ranking.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who are satisfied with the company overall | J.D. Power overall satisfaction score (out of 1,000) |
|---|---|---|
| Aetna | 87% | 726 |
| Kaiser Permanente | 93% | 766 |
| Anthem | 81% | 726 |
How Aetna scores for complaints filed against the company
Aetna does fairly well in terms of being able to settle complaints. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) compares major providers on how many complaints are filed with state regulators. If a provider has a rate that is equal to its customer base, it receives a 1.0 score. If it has twice as many complaints as its share of business, it gets a 2.0. Aetna had a score of 1.36, meaning it had just slightly more complaints filed compared to its market share.
| Insurance company | NAIC Complaint Index |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 1.36 |
How Aetna scores for policy offerings
Aetna does have a larger portfolio of policy offerings. With 78% of customers saying they were satisfied, putting it in the middle of the pack in this category.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who score their insurance company highly for policy offerings |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 78% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 91% |
| Anthem | 76% |
Would customers recommend Aetna to others?
Yes, with 85% of customers saying they would recommend the company to others. However, a few companies ranked higher. Kaiser led this category.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who would recommend their health insurance company to others |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 85% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 96% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 90% |
How trustworthy is Aetna?
Most customers believe Aetna can be trusted. It received a 75% approval rating in this category, which was in the top half of our survey. Kaiser Permanente led the ratings at 87%.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who say they trust their health insurance company |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 75% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 87% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 74% |
Do current Aetna customers plan to renew?
Most do. When customers were asked if they planned to renew with Aetna, 90% said they would. But a few companies ranked higher in this category, which was led by Anthem.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who plan to renew with their health insurance company |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 90% |
| Anthem | 95% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 93% |
How Aetna scores for digital experience
Customers rated Aetna’s website and digital experience in the top half of insurers in our survey – but it should be noted, none of the companies we ranked did especially well here. Now that it’s part of CVS Health, the company says it’s going to expand its digital offerings to increase interaction between its plans, pharmaceutical services and walk-in clinics.
It also offers an Aetna Attain Health app, which allows you to access your benefits information from your mobile device and has partnered with Apple to sync your health history with your Apple Watch. The app has a strong 4.6-star rating at the Apple App Store.
| Insurance company | Survey score for digital experience |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 37% |
| Anthem | 35% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 31% |
How Aetna scores for low deductibles
Customers ranked it well for affordability, but in the middle of the pack for low deductibles.
| Insurance company | Survey score for low deductibles |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 55% |
| Humana | 77% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 66% |
How Aetna scores for its provider network
A healthcare provider network is a group of doctors, specialists and hospitals that provide services to insured members at a lower cost than providers outside the network. A strong provider network can be a key consideration when shopping for a health plan. Aetna ranked in the lower half of the top 10 in this category.
| Insurance company | Survey score for provider network |
|---|---|
| Aetna | 60% |
| Anthem | 72% |
| Humana | 64% |
Aetna health insurance coverage options
- Insurance for families and individuals
- Health insurance via employers
- Medicare and Medicaid plans
- Military plans
- Student plans
- International plans
- Pharmacy plans
Other Aetna services
- Dental
- Vision
- Virtual care options
States where Aetna offers coverage
Company background
Aetna is one of the largest health insurance providers in the country and also one of the oldest. Its history traces back to the Aetna Fire Insurance Co., which was established in the early 1800s.
It began offering health insurance in 1899 and in 1907 expanded into the growing arena of automobile insurance. It continued to grow over the years, acquiring various companies, and in 1999 it purchased Prudential HealthCare.
In 2017, Aetna became an acquisition target itself, with CVS successfully launching a $69 billion bid for the company. The merger provided an avenue to direct a steady stream of clients to the pharmacy giant’s drug stores.
It serves more than 35 million people with its health insurance offerings, including a large number of subscribers to its Medicare Advantage plans.
Resources & Methodology
Sources:
Aetna website and CVS Health corporate information. Accessed November 2022.
