Organization to cover administration of the H1N1 vaccine for all health plan members

DUBAI, UAE, December 9, 2009 -- Aetna (NYSE: AET), a leading global diversified health care benefits company, recently announced that it will provide first-dollar coverage* for the administration of the H1N1 flu vaccine to all of its Aetna Global Benefits (AGB) health plan members in the Middle East and Africa region. AGB is the organization's international business segment that supports more than 400,000 members worldwide.

The company will pay health care professionals such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists to administer the H1N1 flu vaccine to all members at no cost. This coverage is available to all AGB members, even if their AGB plan does not include coverage for preventive care (or has coverage limitations). In addition, any applicable co-payments, co-insurance or deductibles are waived for the administration of the vaccine.  

"We are committed to helping decrease the cost or administrative obstacles that could affect our members' access to the H1N1 vaccine," said Mark Jardin, managing director for the Middle East and Africa region. "As part of this commitment, we will also cover the cost of the H1N1 flu vaccine itself for members who may not be eligible or able to receive the vaccine free-of-charge in the country they are residing in."

Aetna's comprehensive H1N1 influenza education program has been in place since April 2009 to provide members, customers and its own employees with information on the H1N1 flu and tips for preventing infection. Resources available on Aetna's public website www.aetna.com include fact sheets and Q&As, as well as posters and flyers businesses can download and share with employees. The materials use plain language techniques to make them easy to understand.

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About Aetna Global Benefits
Aetna Global Benefits, the international business segment of Aetna, is committed to helping create a stronger, healthier global community by delivering comprehensive health benefits and health management solutions worldwide. AGB's expatriate business is one of the industry's largest and most prominent U.S.-based international health benefits providers, supporting more than 400,000 members worldwide. Our expatriate offerings include medical, dental, vision, life, disability and emergency assistance. The organization's health management business collaborates with health care systems, government entities and plan sponsors around the world to design and build locally-applied health management solutions to improve health, quality and cost outcomes.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the leading diversified health care benefits companies in the United States, serving approximately 36.8 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 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.

*First-dollar coverage is an insurance policy feature that provides full coverage for the entire value of a loss without a deductible. Typically, first-dollar coverage exists all the way up to the full amount on the policy.

© Press Release 2009