Aetna introduces its own plan for "young invincibles"
Starting with a rollout in Illinois effective Aug. 1, Aetna introduced a line of individual health insurance plans tailored and marketed to young adults with the slogan, "Because stuff happens."
The plans, called BodyGuard, are currently available in Illinois only. Like WellPoint's Tonik plans, first offered in 2005, BodyGuard plans come in three degrees of cost and coverage, ranging from a $40 monthly premium for basic coverage, up to $110 per month for the "Advanced" plan.
The two less expensive plans do not include coverage for brand-name drugs, a design that an Aetna news release said was deliberate in order to keep down the overall premium.
There were an estimated 18.3 million people in the young adult age group without health coverage in 2006 according to U.S. Census estimates.
Health plans have tried to market to young adults, sometimes known as "young invincibles," based on the assumption that they think they won't ever need insurance.
However, research by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund and other groups has suggested young adults do want insurance, but are less likely to be covered at work and lack disposable income to purchase their own.
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