We’re here 24/7 to listen and help.
We’re here 24/7 to listen and help.
Villa Healing Center works with Aetna members who need more than outpatient therapy can offer. Aetna mental health treatment benefits vary from one plan to the next, and the wording on your card can be misleading, so this page explains what to look for and what we check for you.
Aetna has been part of CVS Health since 2018. In California, most of its members are covered through a job, and a smaller number through a university student health plan.
Unlike several other insurers, Aetna manages mental health benefits itself. The same company that pays your medical claims also reviews requests for a residential stay, so there is one organization to deal with instead of two.
Aetna’s plan names contain two separate pieces of information, and people often read them the wrong way.
“Open Access” means you can see specialists without a referral from a primary care doctor. It says nothing about whether you can use a provider Aetna has no contract with. The second half of the name answers that.
| Plan name contains | Benefits for non-contracted providers? |
|---|---|
| Managed Choice POS | Generally yes |
| Choice POS II | Generally yes |
| Open Choice PPO | Generally yes |
| Aetna Select | Generally no, except emergencies |
| Elect Choice EPO | Generally no, except emergencies |
| HMO | Generally no, except emergencies |
A plan called “Open Access Managed Choice” is one we can usually help with. “Open Access Aetna Select” sounds similar but usually is not.
Some cards show the Aetna logo next to a second name. Two cases come up often:
In both cases, calling the main Aetna number leads nowhere. We call the administrator listed on your card. If your plan is employer-funded, our UMR page explains how that type of plan works.
Aetna uses the term “precertification” for the approval it requires before a residential admission. Three things are worth knowing:
Our clinical staff submit the precertification request and manage each review that follows.
Many Aetna members are surprised to learn their plan keeps two running totals for the year. One counts what you have paid to Aetna’s contracted providers. The other counts what you have paid to everyone else.
The totals are usually tracked separately. You may have met your deductible through doctor visits and prescriptions and still have a full, separate deductible for a facility like ours. The yearly limit on your out-of-pocket spending is often split the same way.
When we check your plan, we ask for the second set of figures specifically, because those are the ones that apply here.
Most Aetna members are employed, so job and income questions come up early. If you work in California:
We complete the medical certification forms for leave and disability claims. This is general information, not legal advice, so check your own eligibility with your HR department or the state.
Villa Healing Center does not work with Aetna Medicare Advantage plans or Aetna Medicaid plans. If your Aetna card mentions Medicare, we are unable to bill it.
People often reach us after months of trying other things. If that sounds familiar, these articles may help: when talk therapy is not working, when severe anxiety needs a higher level of care and how to admit yourself to mental health treatment. Our residential treatment program in Woodland Hills is for adults 18 and over.
Medical Director
Medical Director
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Courtney Scott, MD, Medical Director at Villa Healing Center. Board-eligible in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Addiction Medicine per Villa’s published clinical leadership profile.
Read more about our team
Call (888) 669-0661 and read us the full plan name from your card, including any second company name. We will tell you whether your plan can be used here and what you would pay.
