Aetna Ranks First in Missouri in Survey of Customer Satisfaction with Health Plans.

ST. LOUIS -- Aetna (NYSE: AET) ranked number one in Missouri in the nation's largest assessment of customer satisfaction with health plans. The study measured consumer satisfaction in seven areas: Overall satisfaction, willingness to recommend a plan, on-line tools, customer service, complaint resolution, plan communication and enrollment process. The rankings were determined as part of the National Research Corporation's annual NRC Healthcare Market Guide[R] study which surveyed 200,000 households in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia, before announcing this year's recipients of the Customer Care Awards. In addition to Missouri, Aetna also ranked first in Tennessee and South Carolina.

"We are proud that our customers recognize and appreciate the value we contribute to helping them achieve their best possible state of health," said John Stockton, Aetna's Vice President of Sales and Service in Kansas and Missouri. "The Customer Care Award reflects the growing role consumer choice is playing in the health care marketplace, and the desire of consumers for information they can use to assess quality and chose wisely when spending their health care dollars."

Aetna pioneered price transparency in health care, becoming the first health plan nationwide and in Missouri to share the actual price tag for physician services with members so they can find out exactly what they can expect to pay at the doctor's office before going in for a visit. The Aetna Navigator member website includes a hospital comparison tool that allows members to compare hospital performance on medical procedures weighing such criteria as number of patients treated, mortality rates, complication rates and average length of stay. Aetna's new personal health record provides members with online access to detailed personal health history coupled with CareEngine[R] technology that continuously scans the individual's health data and claims information, compares it against highly respected sources of medical literature, and alerts consumers and doctors about possible urgent situations and opportunities to improve care.

National Research Corporation has been dedicated to providing health care research and quality improvement to many of the nation's top health plans, hospitals, and health systems for over 25 years. Dedicated solely to the health care industry, NRC is a leading provider of ongoing survey-based health risk assessments and HEDIS measurement for health plans, and in performance measurement, improvement, analysis and tracking services to healthcare organizations. It has been conducting the NRC Healthcare Market Guide[R] study since 1987.

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 35.9 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