Aetna Offers New Suite of Health and Wellness Programs for the Worksite

-Wellness Services Delivered in Person Shown to Have Better Enrollment and
Engagement Rates-
HARTFORD, Conn.--(Business Wire)--
Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today that it is now offering worksite health and
wellness services to employers. The Aetna Health Connections Direct2YouSM
product suite offers a range of services within the workplace including
biometric screenings that measure cholesterol, blood pressure, weight and
height, wellness services such as counseling about preventive care, healthy
eating and regular exercise, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), prescription
drug consultations with a licensed pharmacist, disease management, and acute
care services. The information gathered at the worksite is connected to other
health programs purchased by the employer - giving them a complete health and
wellness picture of their employee population, while assuring confidentiality of
personal health information.

"At a time when employers are searching for ways to improve their employees`
overall health and control health care costs, worksite wellness services are
receiving increased attention," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., head of New Product
Businesses at Aetna. "Not only can employers enhance their existing employee
benefits package by offering onsite health and wellness services, but Aetna`s
offering is an attractive option in these difficult economic times because the
services can be delivered whether or not an employer has an onsite health
center. The offering saves employers time and money, while delivering a solution
that is proven to better engage employees in improving their health."

The Aetna Health Connections Direct2You offering can be implemented whether or
not the employer has an existing onsite medical clinic. Employers who purchase
the program choose from a menu of programs and services best suited for their
employees. The offerings include:

* Health and Wellness Services: Aetna will directly provide disease management
coaching, wellness counseling and pharmacy consultations staffed by Aetna
nurses, clinicians and pharmacists. For employers who choose to offer pharmacy
consultations, an onsite Aetna pharmacist will provide individual face-to-face
counseling sessions with employees. The pharmacist will explain how and when to
take the medicine, any common side effects, and the importance of adhering to
the doctor`s directions, especially for medications associated with chronic
conditions. The onsite pharmacist will also assist with mail-order enrollment
and generic drug opportunities, as appropriate.
* Biometric Screening: Through business partners such as Quest Labs or Summit
Health, Aetna will provide biometric health screenings to help identify
potential health issues such as high cholesterol, diabetes or other health
conditions.
* Counseling: Aetna`s Employee Assistance Program, which helps people balance
the demands of work, life and personal issues, will be delivered at the worksite
by network providers from Aetna`s EAP network of professionals. The counseling
resources can provide help for employees struggling with elder or child care
issues, marital problems, financial stress and a variety of educational
resources to help employees at any life stage.
* Acute Care Services: Beginning later this year, Aetna will partner with
vendors to offer acute care services, staffed by a physician or nurse
practitioner, to provide treatment for infections, ear aches, sore throats, flu
and other illnesses.

Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health released the results of a
national survey of 573 U.S. companies that employ at least 1,000 workers. The
study showed that 29 percent of companies planned to offer an onsite health
center in 2008 and those numbers are expected to grow in 2009 and beyond.
Furthermore, research shows thatonsite programs using face-to-face coaching and
motivational interviewing techniques result in higher engagement levels than
telephonic only delivery of programs. In fact, the journal Disease Management
reported that enrollment rates in programs delivered face-to-face are
significantly higher than programs delivered via telephone - 79 percent to just
25 percent.

Aetna recently opened an onsite health clinic for the 3,000 employees in its
Hartford, Conn. headquarters building. The "Wellness Works" center offers
employees the convenience of a full service pharmacy, physician and nursing
staff to provide confidential care of common illnesses, lab services, wellness
screenings and coaching, disease management coaching, financial counseling and
other services.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation`s leading diversified health care benefits companies,
serving approximately 36.5 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

Aetna
Kate Prout, 267-247-0476
ProutKF@aetna.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009