For the past 12 years, Talent Trust has partnered with Aetna International. Our partnership has been close and positive and has served our members well.
In March 2022 Aetna reached out to let us know that they had entered into a preferred partnership with Allianz Partners, with the aim that Allianz would take on the majority of Aetna’s business outside the USA. This includes all of Talent Trust’s members.
Through this arrangement, Allianz has taken on a majority of Aetna’s team, including those who worked most closely with Talent Trust. Allianz’s intention is to offer a seamless transition with the same or better level of service and adopt best practices where either Aetna’s or Allianz’s model was better.
Being relational is one of our core values. We have met with people right up to the highest levels in Allianz and have found that they share a similar ethos and can see that they want to make this work for us and our members. We enjoyed working with Aetna, but we are excited by this development and are confident that Allianz will help us improve what we offer to our members.
Some information about Allianz
93% of their clients stay with them each year, meaning others like working with them too.
Where Aetna had 39 million customers, and less than 2% of these members lived outside of the United States, Allianz has almost 100 million customers around the world. Internationally they are a much more widely recognized name than Aetna when it comes to being seen by an international medical provider.
Last year Aetna was involved in about 300 medical evacuations, while Allianz oversaw over 8,500. They have much more extensive and tested capabilities.
They are able to communicate in more than 170 languages and have already established partnerships with over 900,000 international medical providers in 195 countries.
Through their new partnership with Aetna, Allianz will gain access to all of Aetna’s US network to a greater extent than we had previously due to Allianz’s larger scale and value. This will mean that US service levels will only improve.
What this will mean for our members
Be assured, there will be no increases to premiums. In fact, some will be lower than last year.
All our existing resources will continue, but in some cases where they were an Aetna service, they will now be an Allianz service. These will all continue:
- Virtual Healthcare
- SecuriTT
- Mercy Fund
- Member Assistance Program
- No Claims Bonus
- TT Gives Back
- Referral Bonus
- RightNow Media
We are anticipating improved claims and service levels. With Allianz, 90% of pre-authorization guarantees happen within 72 hours, and 90% of claims are processed within 48 hours.
Know that the same trustworthy Talent Trust team is in place to ensure all goes well for our members. Our team has made similar transitions like this before and can see the way that Allianz has approached this is the right way. We are confident of what they will deliver for us and our members.
When will the transition take place?
We will begin transitioning new policies as of 1 November 2022. Policies that renew on or after 1 November 2022 will transition at their renewal date.
Why did this change happen?
In 2018 Aetna was bought by CVS, the largest pharmacy chain in the United States. CVS does not operate outside of North America. Although Aetna had over 1 million international members, this only made up less than half a percent of CVS’s revenue. They thus decided that the international market was not strategically significant for their growth and looked for ways to exit the international market.
Did Talent Trust look at other options?
Yes, we entered negotiations with several other well-known insurers, but none could match or beat what Allianz offered.
Will my renewal date change?
For a small number of members, we will be shifting renewal dates slightly. This will mean that this year these members will have a slightly shorter renewal year which will renew on the first of that month next year. Any affected members will have a correspondingly cheaper policy in line with the reduction in the number of days.
Will my premium increase?
No, some premiums will actually go down.
Will the policy benefits change?
There will be no material changes to the actual benefits you receive. We will be changing some of the policy wording definitions to come in line with Allianz’s terms; however, your policy will not change in any noticeable way.
Will the claims process change?
The claims process will remain the same. We had a good claims experience with Aetna, and Allianz informed us they will be able to surpass this as they utilize Artificial Intelligence, which in some cases will mean instant claims processing.
I have an ongoing claim with Aetna, what will happen with that?
If you have any ongoing claim with Aetna, any treatment within your current insured year will be handled by Aetna until your renewal. Any treatment after your renewal will be handled by Allianz.
Note: Allianz will not have previous claims data, due to information privacy. There may be instances where you have met a policy excess for a condition, which may mean Allianz does not initially reimburse you for this. We will be able to inform Allianz in most cases, but please note that there may be a few instances where the processing of claims like this may take slightly longer than normal.
Will there be any changes to the No Claims Bonus?
No
Will I get a new Allianz insurance card?
Initially, we will be sending out soft-copy virtual cards to members, but working with Allianz to get our members cards over the next few months.
How can I find out more?
If you would like to speak to one of our team, we are genuinely excited by the possibilities of this change and see this as a positive step; we would welcome the opportunity to discuss any questions that you may have.
