AFL-CIO Employer Purchasing Coalition (AEPC) Endorses Aetna PPO and Joint Claim Administration Offerings.

AEPC Member Organizations To Gain Greater Health Care Transparency, Including Information To Help Them Manage Their Health Benefits

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- The AFL-CIO Employer Purchasing Coalition (AEPC) announced today that it is endorsing Aetna (NYSE:AET) as its transparency vendor of choice, selecting the Aetna preferred provider organization (PPO) health plan, as well as Aetna Joint Claim Administration[TM] for AEPC members. AEPC also selected PPOM, an Aetna member company, for its health network lease offering. AEPC is a not-for-profit corporation that assists organized labor in the group purchasing of health care services for 25 member organizations. AEPC member organizations together cover more than 200,000 lives.

Phillip Schloop, business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 547 and president of AEPC's board, said, "AEPC's decision to select Aetna as its transparency vendor of choice was based on Aetna's demonstrated commitment to transparency of cost and quality data. With access to this type of information, our member organizations can make knowledgeable decisions when selecting the health benefits package that best serves their members and families."

"We are excited about the trust organized labor has placed in us," said Deborah Lantzy-Talpos, Aetna's market head in Michigan. "If we can get members engaged in exploring new ways to achieve optimal health, we will have made a real contribution to their lives, and to the health and productivity of our Michigan communities."

Aetna's Open Choice PPO([R]) offers members access to Aetna's nationwide network of more than 767,000 health care professionals and 4,467 hospitals. AEPC member organizations that prefer to handle their own member services directly or through a third-party administrator can select Aetna Joint Claim Administration[TM]. Through this new offering, AEPC member organizations and their third-party administrator or trust fund office handle all member services, including benefit determinations, with Aetna handling claim payment, medical management and provider reimbursement. For AEPC member organizations interested in leasing an independent network of physicians, hospitals and other health care providers, PPOM provides a six-state network of more than 70,000 health care professionals and 480 hospitals.

"Aetna's online member tools are impressive," said Suzanne Paranjpe, Ph.D., executive director of AEPC. "In addition to gaining online access to physician-specific information on clinical quality and efficiency, members will benefit from Aetna's medical management strategy, Aetna Health Connections(SM), which uses the CareEngine([R]) System to help improve health care quality and patient safety."

The CareEngine([R]) System is a proprietary technology developed by ActiveHealth Management, another standalone business of Aetna's. "The CareEngine automatically integrates detailed, claims-driven information gathered across the health care spectrum - physician office visits, labs, diagnostic treatments and prescriptions - and compares this information against highly respected sources of medical literature," explained Stuart MacDonald, Aetna's vice president for the Labor Division in the North Central Region who will be working directly with the AEPC membership. "If the system identifies an issue, it alerts individuals and their physicians about possible opportunities to improve care. To date, the CareEngine has found more than 1.8 million opportunities to improve the quality of health care Aetna members receive with over 830,000 opportunities uncovered in 2006 alone."

About AEPC

AEPC is a not-for-profit corporation that was established in 1993 to assist organized labor in the group purchasing of health care services. AEPC has highly successful value-based purchasing programs for pharmacy, dental, vision, and disease management services. Today, AEPC members include 25 organizations' health benefit plans covering more than 200,000 lives.

About PPOM

PPOM is a regional preferred provider organization (PPO) based in Southfield, Michigan. PPOM links insurers and their clients with a six-state network of more than 480 hospitals and 70,000 physicians and other health care providers. Coverage extends across all of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and into parts of Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky. Nearly one million individuals have access to the PPOM network. In 2005, PPOM and other HMS Healthcare, Inc. companies were acquired by Aetna Inc. as part of a strategy to offer provider networks, selected medical management services and health care specialty services to customers outside Aetna's core distribution channels. For more information on the PPOM network visit: www.ppom.com.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 29.8 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, long-term care and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans and government-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com