Aetna Introduces Vital Savings on Health: Industry-First Offering Combines Discounted Care with Debit Card Feature

Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced today a new program thatprovides consumers with discounts of 10 percent to 50 percent off thecost of routine health care expenses such as doctor visits and certainhealth care services, discounts of 10 percent to 40 percent off theaverage wholesale price of prescription medications, and a uniquepre-paid debit card feature. The new program, called Vital Savings(SM)on Health, will be available to employers of all sizes on September 1,2006, in Denver, Colo., and Southern N.J., and on October 1, 2006, inTampa, Fla., and Raleigh, N.C., with additional markets being added in2007.

"We see this card as a positive for employers, consumers andphysicians. Employers, who may not be able to offer certain employeeshealth insurance, now have a low-cost way of attracting and rewardingemployees, consumers have access to a broad network of health careproviders at discounted rates, and physicians receive payment directlyfrom the debit card at the time of service," said Chris Skelly, headof Aetna Health-Related Financial Solutions.

Vital Savings on Health is part of the Vital Savings by Aetna(R)family of programs, which also includes discounts on dental services,prescription drugs and long-term care. Vital Savings on Healthsubscribers receive access to:

-- Significant discounts on the cost of routine health care such as doctor visits, wellness exams and preventive testing, when payments are made with the debit card, as well as discounts on generic and brand-name prescriptions;

-- A convenient pre-paid debit card to pay for discounted services at Aetna participating health care providers that accept Visa;

-- Discounts on other health-related products and services (for example, vision, fitness, alternative health care, hearing and oral health products);

-- A full spectrum of Web-based tools, such as DocFind(R) - Aetna's online provider directory, Estimate the Cost of Care - a tool that helps consumers maximize their health care dollars, and a variety of other tools that help consumers make informed health care decisions.

"Vital Savings on Health is one solution Aetna is making availableto many business owners who cannot afford to offer health insurance totheir employees. Employees who work part-time or those who do not havehealth insurance should find this type of program attractive," addedSkelly.

Vital Savings on Health is not insurance; rather, it offers accessto certain providers who give participants discounts on the previouslydescribed services and facilitates payment to the providers at thepoint of service with the use of the pre-paid debit card.

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health carebenefits companies, serving approximately 28.3 million people withinformation and resources to help them make better informed decisionsabout their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional andconsumer-directed health insurance products and related services,including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life,long-term care and disability plans, and medical managementcapabilities. Our customers include employer groups, individuals,college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans andgovernment-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com