Aetna 2002 Annual Report Download - page 18

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 
In early , Aetna announced a new standardized suite of health benefits
designed to meet the unique needs of businesses with two to  eligible
employees, a market segment that has traditionally been overlooked.
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey of small businesses, only  percent of firms with three to
nine employees and  percent of businesses with  to  employees offer health insurance. Making afford-
able, comprehensive health plans available to smaller employers makes business sense while it addresses a
pervasive problem: the nation’s uninsured. Among the country’s uninsured, six out of  hold full-time
positions. Many of these individuals are low-wage workers in small firms.
Why the gap? Recent studies have demonstrated that smaller employers face higher costs for health
benefits than do larger firms because they face state benefit mandates that can increase premiums up to
 percent higher than those of self-insured employers. And as medical costs increase — as they have steadily in
recent years — small employers are more likely than their larger counterparts to drop coverage for workers.
Aetna offers an attainable option for this significant business segment through a variety of prepack-
aged plan designs; efficient plan installation and administration processes; and an array of integrated benefits
options such as dental, life and short-term disability products.
This approach streamlines the process for selecting health and related benefits plans, enabling
employers to spend more time on their business, and less time choosing and maintaining their benefits
package. The result: More Americans who work for small businesses get access to cost-effective, high-
quality health care.
A Big Advantage for Small Business