There are many commercial insurance providers from which a patient can choose to belong, or to which employers can choose belong. For the purposes of comparison, this essay will consider the private commercial insurance companies of Aetna and Kaiser Permanente. These two companies will be compared in order to conclude which company this author prefers. This author concludes that both companies are forward thinking, conscientious of diversity, and that both companies provide patient care and advocacy. If forced to choose, I would probably select Kaiser based on the fact that I remember the company providing for my parents. It is easy to trust in a name that one is familiar with; Kaiser Permanente has been in existence since the 1930’s, and in July of 1945 it was open to public enrollment (Kaiser Permanente, 2017). Aetna has been around even longer than Kaiser, but for some reason, I am more familiar with Kaiser simply because it is the company that has provided for me during my childhood. Aetna began as far back as the 1850’s, and is therefore a company that started insurance in many ways.
Aetna’s mission is: “Building a healthier world one person, one family, one community at a time” (Aetna Inc., 2017). This has been their mission since the inception of the company in 1853. Aetna has not remained stagnant, and recognizes the need to address diversity in current health care needs. Aetna has a policy for racial and ethnic equity that address the overlooked results of studies that racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. have a lower quality of health care than non-minorities (Aetna, 2017). Aetna takes measures to find opportunities to improve health care for minorities by developing programs for conditions that are prevalent amongst minorities (Aetna, 2017). Some products that Aetna offers are a health risk assessment website. This website has some incredible success stories, such as the story of “Joh’s Wake-up Call” (Aetna, 2017). This interactive website that Aetna provides, helped John identify a life threatening illness, and enabled John to take proactive steps to keep himself healthy (Aetna, 2017).
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"Commercial Health Insurance: Aetna vs. Kaiser Permanente".
Kaiser, like Aetna, recognizes the importance of addressing diversity in their insurance plans. The way that Kaiser addresses the needs of minorities and disadvantaged groups is that the root of the problem needs to be addressed: “We can’t fully improve the health of the diabetic who has no access to healthy food or a safe place to walk. We can’t truly help the asthmatic child who lives in a city without clean air” (Kaiser Permanente, 2017). The manner that Kaiser approaches the problems in health care is from the root up. One product that Kaiser offers is that beneficiaries can choose the best-fit for their coverage. This is a huge benefit for some options are too inclusive, or too exclusive.
In conclusion, both companies are ethically aware of diversity, which is an important consideration for myself, and for my family. I would choose Kaiser, only because of the established personal history that I have with them. Objectively, my research revealed that both companies are decent providers, have decent reviews, serve a diverse population, have benefits for seniors, and for children. I learned that Aetna is the older of the two companies, although I thought perhaps it was Kaiser. The products and services are equitable, so if my employer chose one over the other I would understand and support either decision. The other product, which both companies offer, is an ability to chat online with professionals in the medical industry. Both companies are staying up-to-date on evolving technology, and media applications.
- Aetna Inc. (2017). Aetna Family of Sites. Retrieved from https://www.aetna.com/index.html
- Kaiser Permanente. (2017). Kaiser Permanente Family of Sites. Retrieved from https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/
