Aetna and Baylor Health Care System Extend Contract Agreement for an Additional Four Years.

Business Editors

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 2004

Aetna and Baylor Health Care System announced today that they have signed an agreement extending their contract for an additional four years. Members of Aetna health plans will be able to continue using Baylor's Dallas/Fort Worth-area hospitals and certain Baylor affiliates for all covered services, at in-network rates at least through June 30, 2008.

The agreement includes the following hospitals: Baylor All Saints Medical Center at City View, Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth, Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital, Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation, Baylor Medical Center at Garland, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, Baylor Medical Center at Irving, Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie, Baylor Specialty Hospital, Baylor University Medical Center, Our Children's House at Baylor and Texoma Medical Center.

"We are pleased to be able to provide our members and customers the stability that this long-term arrangement offers," said Carl King, regional manager of health care delivery for Aetna's Southwest and Southeast regions. "We look forward to working collaboratively with Baylor to address the needs of our members."

Founded as a Christian ministry of healing, Baylor Health Care System exists to serve all people through exemplary health care, education, research and community service. Baylor Health Care System, a not-for-profit health care provider based in North Texas, is a growing network of hospitals, primary care physician centers and practices, rehabilitation clinics, senior health centers, and affiliated ambulatory surgery centers. Baylor Health Care System also provides coordinated research efforts and pursues medical research opportunities through the Baylor Research Institute. An employer of more than 15,000 people, Baylor Health Care System ranks as one of the largest private-sector employers in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. For more information, visit www.BaylorHealth.com

"Baylor is pleased to be associated with a quality benefits provider such as Aetna," said Dianne Grussendorf, Baylor vice president of managed care. "The extension of the Aetna contract means many North Texas patients can continue to rely upon Baylor's quality services."

Aetna provides health benefits to more than 800,000 people in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Those members have access to a contracted network of 88 hospitals, 2,726 primary care physicians and 6,067 specialists.

Aetna is one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care benefits, serving approximately 13.0 million medical members, 10.9 million dental members, 7.4 million pharmacy members and 12.3 million group insurance customers, as of December 31, 2003. The company has expansive nationwide networks of more than 600,000 health care services providers, including over 362,000 primary care and specialist physicians and 3,626 hospitals. For more information about Aetna, please visit the company's web site at www.aetna.com.