PRINCETON, N.J.– Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced its subsidiary, Aetna Better Health^® of New Jersey, a state-contracted Medicaid managed care health plan that offers Medicaid services, Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) and Managed Long Term Care Services and Support (MLTSS), will expand operations in New Jersey to all 21 counties.

This statewide expansion assures that all NJ FamilyCare members statewide now have another health plan option to consider during this year’s NJ FamilyCare open enrollment period that started on Oct. 1 and runs through Nov. 15, 2017.

Aetna Better Health of New Jersey will now have the opportunity to enroll members in Cape May, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Ocean and Warren Counties. Aetna Better Health of New Jersey already serves NJ FamilyCare members in 16 counties – Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex and Union.

“Receiving statewide approval is instrumental to us helping those in need throughout New Jersey,” said Glenn MacFarlane, Aetna Better Health of New Jersey’s president and CEO. “Providing high-quality health care to our members is critical to our mission. By expanding our coverage and network additions statewide, it allows us to create a better health care delivery system that offers members choice, greater access to care within their communities, and empowers them to achieve a better quality of life. We believe working with many of our new community and provider partners will help us realize our mission of improving the health of every life we touch.”

Aetna Better Health of New Jersey also has been granted Interim Accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), with full accreditation expected by September 2018. NCQA accreditation helps ensure the health plan is operating in compliance with the current NCQA standards with a member-centric focus. Additionally, these standards provide members with access to additional information and tools to better manage their health.