Aetna®, a CVS Health® company, has officially announced the launch of its 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) products.
According to certain reports, the company will offer Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans across 43 states and Washington, D.C., made available for 57 million Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. As for some of the company’s other offerings set to go on display, they are likely to include Special Needs Plans (SNPs), MA-only, prescription drug plans (PDP), and Medicare Supplement and ancillary products.
Talk about Aetna’s latest move on a slightly deeper level, we begin from the promise of maintained essential benefits. This translates to how the company will continue to offer a plan with $0 monthly plan premium in every applicable county, with all plans enjoying $0 copays for Tier 1 drugs at in-network pharmacies, along with dental, vision and hearing benefits plus a SilverSneakers® fitness membership.
In fact, going by Aetna’s projections, 82% of the Medicare-eligible beneficiaries will have access to a $0 monthly premium Aetna MA plan.
Next up, we must expand upon the availability of Aetna Medicare Extra Benefits Card which, powered by OTC Health Solutions®, will offer you a simplified experience with one card for all card-based benefits. Eligible members can markedly use their allowance on certain services and products at CVS® stores, whereas on the other hand, members in certain plans can also use the card at over 70,000 bonus participating locations.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in the prospect of $0 cost-shares on essential preventive services. You see, Aetna will offer certain in-network services at no extra cost to the member, including $0 copays for annual physicals, colonoscopies, mammograms and routine eye and hearing exams and. For some plans, it will offer $0 copays against primary care visits and labs.
Hold on, we still have some bits left to unpack, considering we haven’t yet touched upon the company’s now significantly enhanced high-value provider incentive program. Here, Aetna will link up with high-value primary care providers who specialize in caring for Medicare members. Members in eligible plans, who choose a high-value PCP, can essentially expect to receive more funds on their Aetna Medicare Extra Benefits Card.
Not just that, under of handful of plans, one can also enjoy reduced cost-shares on certain services, such as $10 in-network specialist/podiatry visit copays, and $0 routine behavioral health visits.
Apart from that, we haven’t yet touched upon the fact all of Aetna’s plans include dental, eyewear and hearing aid benefits with $0 routine hearing and eye exams in network. They will also offer a SilverSneakers fitness membership to all individual MA members, a membership which offers uninterrupted access to thousands of gyms, exercise programs, including mental enrichment, nutrition workshops, and well-being classes.
In case that wasn’t enough, these MA plans will offer an annual Healthy Home Visit from a licensed Signify Health clinician at no further cost. Hence, right from the comfort of their home, members can receive a comprehensive health assessment and an evaluation of their home environment to identify fall risks and social support needs.
Moving on, Aetna’s 2026 latest enhancements also be available across Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) and Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs). RFL basically provides support for physical and mental health needs, such as loneliness and connecting members with community resources, spanning local transportation, housing, food programs and caregiver support.
Complementing that would be the Over-the-counter (OTC) benefit, which conceives an allowance to purchase eligible health and wellness products like aspirin and bandages in store, online, or by phone. The said benefit is powered by OTC Health Solutions®. Members can use this benefit at participating locations like CVS Pharmacy®.
“We’ve built our plans around what matters most to our members — access, simplicity and care that meets them where they are,” said Jeff Fernandez, president of Aetna Medicare. “Backed by CVS Health and our care delivery partners, we are committed to supporting our members at every point in their health care journey, whether it’s in the doctor’s office, at home or at the pharmacy.”
