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Aetna Suppliers Meet Health Care Coverage Challenge to Reduce Number of Uninsured

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^{Published in Health and Fitness on Thursday, July 15th 2010 at 9:25 GMT by Market Wire}  

HARTFORD, Conn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--In response to an Aetna (NYSE: AET) initiative launched in 2008, every qualified U.S.-based supplier doing business with Aetna today has confirmed that it provides access to health care benefits for employees. This milestone was reached recently six months ahead of the January 1, 2011 deadline originally set for compliance.

"At Aetna,we believe that making health coverage available allows employers to positively impact the health and productivity of their workers, andreduces the strain on the entire health care system caused by problems associated with the uninsured"

Aetnaa™s goal for the initiative was to reduce the number of working uninsured in America by encouraging other employers to fulfill their responsibility to offer employees access to health care coverage. Since the launch, Aetna has worked to help a number of vendors find the right coverage a" from any carrier a" and will contractually require, going forward, that all suppliers provide access to employee health care benefits.

aAt Aetna,we believe that making health coverage available allows employers to positively impact the health and productivity of their workers, andreduces the strain on the entire health care system caused by problems associated with the uninsured,a said Chairman and CEO Ronald A. Williams. aThe early achievement of this milestone isimportantbecause we firmly believeall employers have an obligation to be part of the solution to the problem of the uninsured. Even with the adoption ofhealth care reform, it is just as vital as ever that employers exercise their civicresponsibility by offering their employees access to health insurance. I want to congratulate and thank our many suppliers, including many small businesses,for stepping up to the plate and making a difference in the lives of so many Americans."

In 2008, Aetna reached out to more than 1,300 U.S. suppliers doing $50,000 or more in business annually with Aetna and verified that 90 percent already were offering employees access to health care benefits. Some of those responding negatively to the benefits question asked for assistance in finding the right coverage, and Aetna worked with them to identify all appropriate options. To satisfy the requirement, vendors must at the minimum supply access to major medical or catastrophic coverage, and coverage must be subsidized by the employer. Though vendors in the future will be required by contract to offer health care coverage to employees, Aetna intends to pursue periodic verification of vendorsa™ health benefits status independent of the contract renewal process.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nationa™s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.1 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see [ www.aetna.com ] and Aetna's Annual Report at [ www.aetna.com/2009annualreport ].