Aetna Execs Prioritize Autism Services and Intelligence Triage in 2027
Behavioral Health Business
By Ashleigh Hollowell | October 5, 2026
Behavioral Health Business
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CVS Health’s (NYSE: CVS) health benefits segment, Aetna, is gearing up to invest significantly in its autism services, incorporating new tools for virtual diagnosis and family support.
Aetna has experienced substantial growth in 2026, with adjusted operating income for the first half of the year reaching $5.47 billion, marking a $2.17 billion surge from the corresponding period in 2025. Much of Aetna's 2027 strategy is driven by:
- Rising costs of applied behavioral analysis (ABA)
- Growing demand for early diagnostics for various neurodiversity conditions
- Long waiting times for mental health care
- Increasing outpatient demand
"The issues we're watching are utilization on the outpatient side, but on the ABA side, it's really a cost issue," explained Brian Schenkemeyer, vice president of growth and client success at Aetna Mental Wellbeing. "So that’s why the holistic autism solution we're putting in place is really trying to solve for that."
While some components of the autism solution are already live, the full launch for members is scheduled for early 2027. The initial focus will be on:
- Partnering with providers to expedite early virtual diagnosis for young patients
- Providing comprehensive support for autism caregivers and families
Miriam Ferreira, head of Aetna Mental Wellbeing, expressed her vision for the future:
"I do envision that we will be investing more heavily in this space. We’re doing a lot with Cortica now, but there will be opportunity for us to partner with others as well."
Aetna is collaborating with technology companies to aggregate patient records and establish clear, agreed-upon standards of care in autism. Additionally, they plan to implement intelligent triage capabilities for psychiatry services through advanced technologies.