2005 Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Adds New Aetna Health Savings Account Option for Federal Workers in 32 States and the District of Columbia.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Aetna (NYSE:AET):

--New Aetna HealthFund(R) with Health Savings Account (HSA) Introduced and Expanded Availability of Aetna HealthFund(R) with Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) --

--New Aetna Open Access(R) Plan to be offered in 18 States and the District of Columbia Providing Over 250,000 Current Federal Members and Any New Members the Freedom to See Participating Specialists Without Referrals --

Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced today that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has agreed to make two Aetna HealthFund consumer-directed medical plan options available to over 4.5 million eligible members of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) in 2005. The decision by OPM to expand Aetna's product offerings under FEHBP gives federal employees the choice of two innovative Aetna HealthFund plans for their medical, dental and prescription drug coverage in 32 States and the District of Columbia -- Aetna HealthFund with HRA and Aetna HealthFund with HSA. The Aetna Open Access plan will be available in 18 states as well as the District of Columbia allowing the 250,000 current federal members and any new members the freedom to see participating specialists without referrals. Federal open enrollment runs from November 8 through December 13, 2004.

"Our new federal plan options and enhanced products demonstrate our continued commitment to consumer choice within FEHBP," said Russ Fisher, senior vice president, National Accounts & Aetna Global Benefits. "We are providing a growing number of federal employees and their families with affordable health care options, flexibility in managing their own health care needs, and helping to empower informed decision-making with new online tools and credible health information," Fisher added.

The Aetna HealthFund with HSA includes an automatic annual deposit of $1,250 for single coverage and $2,500 for family coverage into a Health Savings Account that members can roll over from year to year and keep even if they change jobs or switch plans. Individual enrollees can make additional voluntary tax-free contributions, usually up to the amount of the annual plan deductible. Health Savings Account funds are invested in a fixed-interest account that also earns interest tax free. Individuals may use their HSA to pay for their deductible, or for qualified health care expenses with options to have claims automatically paid from their account.

Federal employees who select either Aetna HealthFund option will receive 100 percent coverage for in-network preventive care, a medical fund or a consumer-controlled account to help pay for eligible medical expenses, the opportunity to roll over unused account or fund dollars to pay for medical expenses in future years, freedom to choose the providers they wish to see for covered services, a cap that limits the total amount they pay annually for eligible expenses and online tools and information to manage their health.

Specific tools available exclusively to Aetna HealthFund members include: the recently-introduced Estimate the Cost of Care tool, which offers cost information on prescription drugs, medical procedures, dental procedures, office visits, medical tests, diseases and conditions, and Simple Steps To A Healthier Life(R), an interactive, online health risk assessment program.

All federal employees enrolled in an Aetna health plan have access to Aetna's online tools including Aetna Navigator(TM), a secure and personalized member website, to access resources including the HealthWise(R) Knowledgebase, hospital comparison tool, preventive care planner, DocFind(R) and online customer service. Federal employees can also call a team of Aetna registered nurses 24/7 at the Informed Health(R) Line for their health-related questions.

As one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care products, Aetna puts information and helpful resources to work for its approximately 13.4 million medical members, 11.4 million dental members, 8.1 million pharmacy members and 12.6 million group insurance members to help them make better informed decisions about their health care and protect their finances against health-related risk. Aetna provides easy access to cost-effective health care through a nationwide network of more than 633,000 health care professionals, including over 377,000 primary care and specialist physicians and 3,866 hospitals. For more information about Aetna, please visit the company's Web site at www.aetna.com. (Figures as of June 30, 2004)

Aetna HealthFund will be available to Federal Employees in AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA and WA.

Aetna Open Access will be available to Federal Employees AZ, CO, DC, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX and VA.

Aetna HMO will be available to Federal Employees in CA and WA.