Aetna Health Insurance Company is reaching out to help critically ill children and their families. Just last week, Aetna announced that they will cover the transition care services of Illinois’s Almost Home Kids (formerly CoACH Care Center) for its members. Aetna is the first health insurance provider to offer coverage for these transitional care services, and hopes to set an example for other insurers to follow.

Almost Home Kids is a not-for-profit children’s care center in Naperville, Illinois – the children’s center was the first of its kind in the nation, and remains the only such facility in Illinois. The objective of Almost Home Kids is simple:  they train parents whose critically ill children have been discharged from the hospital. Many of these children have complex medical needs that require diligent monitoring and special equipment, such as respirators, oxygen, and suction machines. Essentially, the Center serves as the “bridge” between hospital and home.

The children’s care center in Illinois is a 10-bed facility in a 4,000 square foot home – all set on 2 ½ acres of land. The Center remains open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, allowing families to spend as much time with their child as they please. Children usually stay at the Almost Home Kids center for the maximum two weeks, where the parents will be educated and trained thoroughly before they take their child home. Without a facility like this, these critically ill children would have to stay in the hospital longer, which presents a wide variety of emotional, physical, and financial problems.

Although the benefits of this care center are tremendous, some families simply cannot afford the cost of their child’s medical care. And unless they are on a group health insurance plan, it’s nearly impossible for most families to find an affordable health insurance plan to cover their child’s medical needs. And that’s where Aetna has stepped in. By agreeing to cover the transitional medical services, Aetna has surely provided a huge relief to the families who use the Center.

A facility like Almost Home Kids is good for the children and their families, and good for containing health care costs.  At a time when we are looking at how to lower health care costs and improve health outcomes for all, this innovative relationship with Almost Home Kids is a win-win for everyone.  We are proud to be the first health insurer to take this important step, and we encourage others to follow our lead for the benefit of these medically fragile children and their families.

- Martin R. Castro, Aetna’s Vice President of External Affairs for the Chicago market

We can only hope that other health insurance companies follow Aetna’s lead, and start offering health insurance coverage for these necessary medical expenses. Please see the full Press Release for additional information. Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving more than 36.5 million people with health care information and resources. The Aetna company offers a wide range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life, and disability plans.

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