Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Our Expert Take
Our Expert Take
We like Aetna’s excellent average rates for its Affordable Care Act plans, but the company also has the highest average silver plan deductible of the companies we analyzed. That means you may pay higher out-of-pocket costs for those excellent premiums.
Pros
- Lowest average ACA plan premiums compared to other large health insurance companies.
- Slightly better than average National Committee for Quality Assurance quality ratings.
- Aetna is owned by CVS Health, which provides members a $25 allowance every three months to shop at CVS Health and a 20% discount on CVS Health brand products.
Cons
- Higher than average silver plan deductibles.
- Complaints to state departments of insurance higher than industry average.
On Healthcare.com's Website
2.6
Our star ratings are based on a range of criteria and are determined solely by our editorial team. See our methodology for more information.
Provider network
More than 1 million providers
Average silver plan cost for a 40-year-old
$451 a month
Average deductible for a silver plan
$8,375 a year
Table of Contents
- About Aetna
- Types of Health Insurance Offered by Aetna
- Types of Plans Available from Aetna
- Extra Benefits from Aetna
- How Much Do Aetna Health Insurance Plans Cost?
- How Aetna Health Insurance Premiums Compare to Other Companies
- Methodology
Show more
About Aetna
Aetna’s roots stretch all the way back to 1853, when the company was formed In Hartford, Connecticut. Nearly a century later in 1951, Aetna offered its first major medical coverage policies.
Aetna merged with U.S. Healthcare in the 1990s to become Aetna U.S. Healthcare, and within three years it was the nation’s largest provider of health benefits. CVS Health Corp. acquired Aetna in 2017.
Aetna provides services to about 39 million people Aetna across the U.S. The subsidiary of CVS Health Corp. has a network of 1 million health insurance providers across the U.S. that offer health care services to Aetna policyholders.
Aetna’s health plans are available in the health insurance marketplace in:
Arizona | Missouri |
California | Ohio |
Delaware | New Jersey |
Florida | North Carolina |
Georgia | Nevada |
Illinois | Texas |
Indiana | Utah |
Kansas | Virgina |
Maryland |
Types of Health Insurance Offered by Aetna
Aetna offers both group health insurance and individual health insurance. The company’s individual health insurance plans are branded as Aetna CVS Health Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans.
Aetna also offers:
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Supplemental insurance
Types of Plans Available from Aetna
Aetna offers two types of insurance plans on the health insurance marketplace:
- HMO: Patients with a health maintenance organization (HMO) plan typically only are covered for care from providers within the plan’s network. In most cases, you need a referral to see a specialist.
- EPO: Patients with an exclusive provider organization (EPO) plan are only covered if they use physicians, specialists or hospitals within the plan’s network. You typically don’t need a referral to see a specialist.
The company offers three metal tiers on the ACA marketplace: bronze, silver and gold. Insurers can offer bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Bronze plans have the lowest premiums but the highest deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. Gold plans have the highest premiums but lowest out-of-pocket costs.
Extra Benefits from Aetna
Aetna members get a $25 allowance every three months to shop at CVS Health and a 20% discount on CVS Health brand products. You can also get 24/7 virtual care visits and walk-in visits at over 1,000 MinuteClinic locations.
How Much Do Aetna Health Insurance Plans Cost?
Aetna health insurance plans cost $414 monthly on average for a 30-year-old with an ACA marketplace plan. Age is one cost factor for ACA plans. A 40-year-old pays $466 monthly on average while a 50-year-old spends $651 on average.
Average Aetna Health Insurance Cost by Age
| Age of member | Average monthly costs for a Aetna plan |
|---|---|
Age 21 | $365 |
Age 27 | $382 |
Age 30 | $414 |
Age 40 | $466 |
Age 50 | $651 |
Age 60 | $990 |
Source: Healthcare.gov. Based on unsubsidized ACA plans.
The ACA marketplace divides plans by metal tier based on cost: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Bronze and silver plans are the cheapest health plans with the lowest premiums. Those plans also have the highest out-of-pocket costs when you need healthcare. Platinum and gold plans have higher premiums but fewer out-of-pocket costs.
Bronze and silver plans are the most common type of plan, while platinum plans are fairly rare.
Average Aetna Costs by Metal Plan
| Age of member | Average monthly cost for a Aetna Bronze plan | Average monthly cost for a Aetna Silver plan | Average monthly cost for a Aetna Gold plan |
|---|---|---|---|
Age 21 | $295 | $373 | $418 |
Age 27 | $310 | $391 | $438 |
Age 30 | $335 | $424 | $474 |
Age 40 | $378 | $451 | $534 |
Age 50 | $528 | $667 | $747 |
Age 60 | $802 | $1,013 | $1,135 |
Source: Healthcare.gov. Based on unsubsidized ACA plans. Aetna doesn’t offer many Platinum plans, so we didn’t include those averages.
How Aetna Health Insurance Premiums Compare to Other Companies
Aetna has the lowest average health insurance premiums of the major national insurers we analyzed.
Average Monthly Costs for ACA Marketplace Plan by Company
| Age of member | Aetna | Blue Cross Blue Shield | Cigna | UnitedHealthcare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Age 21 | $365 | $444 | $390 | $396 |
Age 27 | $382 | $468 | $417 | $415 |
Age 30 | $414 | $506 | $449 | $450 |
Age 40 | $466 | $569 | $504 | $506 |
Age 50 | $651 | $795 | $705 | $708 |
Age 60 | $990 | $1,206 | $1,066 | $1,076 |
Source: Healthcare.gov. Based on unsubsidized ACA plans.
HMOs: Average Monthly Health Insurance Costs
| Company | Age 30 | Age 40 | Age 50 | Age 60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aetna | $414 | $466 | $651 | $990 |
Ambetter | $417 | $470 | $657 | $998 |
Blue Cross Blue Shield | $441 | $497 | $694 | $1,055 |
Cigna | $436 | $491 | $686 | $1,043 |
Kaiser Permanente | $400 | $451 | $630 | $957 |
Oscar | $407 | $458 | $641 | $974 |
UnitedHealthcare | $431 | $486 | $679 | $1,032 |
Average costs are for unsubsidized plans.
EPOs: Average Monthly Health Insurance Costs
| Company | Age 30 | Age 40 | Age 50 | Age 60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aetna | $413 | $465 | $650 | $988 |
Ambetter | $432 | $487 | $680 | $1,034 |
Blue Cross Blue Shield | $550 | $617 | $864 | $1,307 |
Cigna | $459 | $513 | $720 | $1,084 |
Kaiser Permanente | $383 | $431 | $602 | $915 |
Oscar | $411 | $463 | $647 | $983 |
UnitedHealthcare | $490 | $552 | $772 | $1,172 |
Average costs are for unsubsidized plans.
Reviews & Ratings for Aetna Health Insurance
Complaints filed with state insurance departments against Aetna for individual health insurance are about twice as high as the industry average.
Other ratings for Aetna include:
- Average National Committee for Quality Assurance rating: 3.3 out of 5 stars
- AM Best financial strength: A (Excellent)
Aetna received slightly better than average NCQA marks among the companies we analyzed. Aetna had four health plans that received four out of five stars: PPO/EPO combined plans in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
AM Best affirmed Aetna’s A (Excellent) Financial Strength Rating. The rating company highlighted Aetna’s “balance sheet strength,” as well as its “strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
Methodology
We used the following data to determine the best health insurance companies.
- Complaints made to state insurance departments (30% of score): We used complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
- Plan ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (30% of score): The National Committee for Quality Assurance is an independent, nonprofit organization that accredits health plans and produces ratings based on specific metrics.
- Average silver plan deductible (20% of score): The deductible is how much you have to pay for healthcare services in a year before the health plan begins picking up a portion of the costs.
- Breadth of health plans (10% of score): Health insurance companies may offer up to four types of plan benefit designs (PPO, HMO, EPO and POS).
- Metal tier offerings (10% of score): We gave points to companies offering more metal tiers. The ACA marketplace has four metal tier levels.
Find The Best Health Insurance Companies Of 2024
Learn More
Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circ*mstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
Was this article helpful?
Send feedback to the editorial team
Thank You for your feedback!
Something went wrong. Please try again later.
