Demonstrating social responsibility
and integrity
Aetna Corporate Responsibility 2008
31.05.300.1 (9/08)
“In the health care field, doing well and doing good can and should be
pursued together. At Aetna,‡ we believe we have the opportunity and
responsibility to use our resources and relationships to have a positive
impact on as many people as possible.”
Ronald A. Williams,
Aetna Chairman and CEO
‡Aetna is the brand name used for
products and services provided by
one or more of the Aetna group of
subsidiary companies (Aetna).
Our Values
At Aetna, we put the people
who use our services at the
center of everything we do, and
we live by a core set of values:
Executive summary
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Integrity
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uality Service and Value
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xcellence and Accountability
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Employee Engagement
At Aetna, we believe that being a leader in health care benefits
means not only meeting business expectations but also exercising
ethical business principles and social responsibility in everything
we do. Responsibility and integrity are woven into our corporate
fabric and demonstrated through our commitment to:
Community involvement
Public policy leadership
Environmental practices
The Aetna Foundation is the independent
charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna.
Founded in 1972, the Foundation helps
build healthy communities by promoting
volunteerism, forming partnerships and
funding initiatives that improve the quality
of life where our employees and customers
live and work. In 2007, Aetna and the Aetna
Foundation contributed $24.5 million in
grants and sponsorships.
Aetna is committed to transforming
health care in America by playing a
leadership role in advancing public policy
solutions. Our goal is access to health
care services and improved quality of
care for all Americans.
Aetna is committed to helping
people protect and enhance their
health, and we believe that helping to
improve the environment in which we
all live and work is an important part
of that goal. Aetna has implemented
a corporate-wide initiative to reduce
paper usage that is cutting paper
usage by 10 percent annually. We
also recycle paper, cardboard, glass
and plastic bottles at Aetna-owned
facilities, and use energy-saving devices
and equipment to minimize power
consumption at these facilities.
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Diversity at Aetna
We recognize the impact and importance of
diversity in all aspects of our business.
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T hrough recruitment, education and
development, we continue to strengthen
Aetna’s workplace diversity to mirror the
customers we serve.
e are diversifying our supplier base,
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purchasing more than $84 million in goods
and services from certified women-owned
and minority-owned business enterprises
in 2007.
e are bringing our health and related
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benefits to some of the fastest growing
segments of our populations — the African
American, Latino and Asian markets.
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ur pioneering “To Your Health! Aetna’s
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Proposal for Health
Care System Transformation” is a
comprehensive health reform plan that
proposes a framework for constructive
dialogue and meaningful change.
e are continuously exploring ways
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to enhance our policies and practices,
and create new business solutions to
expand access to health benefits and
improve consumers’ health care experience.
Our industry-leading price
and quality transparency efforts
represent just one such effort.
etna is engaged in numerous
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activities to help address the problem
of inadequate health literacy, a
significant obstacle to healthful living.
Corporate governance
Aetna’s reputation, one of the
company’s most valuable assets,
relies on sound corporate governance
policies, publicly available on our
website. We share documents —
Aetna’s Code of Conduct and Aetna’s
Corporate Governing Guidelines —
with our key stakeholders. In doing so,
we help ensure our commitment to
excellence, integrity and accountability.
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Aetna community involvement
Nothing exemplifies our
commitment to responsible
leadership more visibly and
resolutely than the activities of
our independent charitable and
philanthropic arm, the Aetna
Foundation. Founded in 1972,
the Foundation helps to build
healthy communities by promoting
volunteerism, forming partnerships
and funding initiatives that improve
the quality of life where our
employees and customers work
and live.
Working to build
healthier communities
Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna
Foundation have awarded more than
$334 million in grants, sponsorships and
social investments. Today, the Foundation
continues to thrive, focusing on health,
diversity, volunteerism and employee
programs. We remain committed to
supporting diverse communities through
our philanthropic and volunteer activities
and are especially interested in funding
programs that seek to reduce racial and
ethnic disparities in health care.
Meeting the needs of
our multicultural markets
and diverse populations
In 2007 Aetna and the Aetna
Foundation awarded $24.5 million
in grants and sponsorships. Of that,
$2.2 million supported an array of
initiatives strengthening our long-term
commitment to diversity. The following
are just a few examples:
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Supporting strong Latino
communities
Celebrating diversity through
publications
In the past decade, we have awarded
more than $450,000 to Hispanics in
Philanthropy helping it grow into a
national catalyst for Latino philanthropy.
For the past 27 years, Aetna has
recognized the outstanding contributions
of African Americans through an
educational calendar printed and
distributed to schools, businesses and
nonprofits. In 2007 Aetna expanded
its outreach by creating and developing
an inaugural bilingual calendar,
Calendario Hispano de Aetna, en
celebración de la cultura latina.
Creating full opportunities for
the disabled
We continue our ongoing partnership
with Habitat for Humanity, awarding
$130,000 since 2004 to support building
homes for families who have a member
with a disability. To date, we have
worked with Habitat to build one home
in Dallas, TX; another in Portland, OR;
and two in Hartford, CT. 2007 saw a fifth
home break ground in Dania Beach, FL.
African American history
and culture
A $500,000 grant to The Amistad
Center for Art & Culture, the largest single
gift in the Center’s history, marks a 20-year
relationship between us and the center
and will used to support their acclaimed
traveling exhibit, Double Exposure; African
Americans Before and Behind the Camera.
Honoring veterans through
partnerships
In 2007 we forged a new relationship
with Rebuilding Together Hartford,
awarding $25,000 toward an initiative
designed provide accessible homes for
disabled veterans.
Supporting diversity in
higher education
Aetna remains committed to developing
opportunities for the next generation of
business leaders though higher education
initiatives, particularly in minority
communities. In 2007 Aetna awarded
the Hispanic Association of Colleges and
Universities (HACU) $35,000; and The
Thurgood Marshall College Fund $10,000.
Aetna Voice of Conscience Award
Created in 1993 in memory of tennis
superstar, humanitarian and Aetna Board
of Directors member Arthur R. Ashe, Jr.,
the Aetna Voice of Conscience Award is
presented to both a national figure and
an Aetna employee whose commitments
to advancing human rights, opportunity
and dignity speak to Ashe’s legacy.
Health care disparities:
Philanthropy’s role
Since 2001, Aetna and the Aetna
Foundation have committed more
than $19 million to address racial and
ethnic disparities in health care including
$4.1 million in 2007. Among our
philanthropic initiatives are:
Grants
Through our Regional Community
Health Grants and Quality of Care
Grants programs we support nonprofit
organizations working to address
disparities in health.
Seeking sustainable outcomes
With a $300,000 Aetna Foundation
grant, the Disparities Solutions Center
at Massachusetts General Hospital has
created a fellowship to help new leaders
improve their cultural competence,
conduct community-oriented research,
and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities
in health care. The Center also will
convene a leadership forum to form
new collaborations, develop strategies to
advance the field and shape policies that
address the issue.
Increasing diversity of health
professionals
A $2 million, five-year commitment is
endowing the Aetna Health Professions
Partnership Initiative at the University
of Connecticut. This initiative builds interest
in health professions among disadvantaged
students from middle school
through college.
Addressing obesity
Aetna has awarded the New Jersey
Mayors Wellness Campaign, a program
of the New Jersey Health Care Quality
Institute, over $400,000 since 2005 to
cultivate fitness in cities. In Florida, an
$80,000 Aetna grant to Commit 2B Fit™
is addressing childhood obesity in multicultural Miami-Dade, Broward and West
Palm Beach communities. A $300,000
Aetna Foundation grant to the National
Latino Children’s Institute for Salsa, Sabor
y Salud (Food, Fun and Fitness), will
support a healthy lifestyles educational
program targeting Latino communities in
eight sites, and provide advocacy in the
areas of childhood obesity, nutrition and
physical fitness. Similarly, a $240,000
Aetna Foundation grant will help fund
the Black Entertainment Television (BET)
Foundation’s Health, Education & Active
Learning (HEAL) Academy, an after-school
program for African American girls.
Volunteerism: A culture
of caring
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Since 2005, the Points of Light
Foundation has honored seven
individual Aetna employees and
two groups, with its Daily Point of
Light award, given to those who
exemplify the best of volunteerism.
In August 2005, we were honored
by the Points of Light with an
award for Excellence in Workplace
Volunteering for our comprehensive
employee volunteerism program Aetna
Employees Reaching Out (AERO).
Aetna strives to be a leading corporate
citizen, improving the quality of life in
communities where we live and work. This
commitment has created Aetna’s “culture
of caring” — a tradition of volunteerism
that is part of our core values.
For example:
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E mployees have logged 1.3 million hours
of community service since 2003.
ore than 40 Aetna Volunteer Councils
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(AVCs) are composed of hundreds of
employees, who develop and deploy local
employee volunteers to help improve the
quality of life in their communities.
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Diversity at Aetna
Aetna is serious and sincere
about cultivating and leveraging
diversity; we have successfully
incorporated an inclusive mindset
into all that we do. If you interact
with Aetna — no matter from what
area of interest — our diversity
initiatives and strategies are bound
to touch you in some way. Whether
you’re a customer, a supplier, an
employee or want to be one, a
provider, or a consultant, we have
programs that focus on your needs.
We recognize the impact and
importance of diversity in all
aspects of our business, whether it
is providing products and services
to meet a wide variety of consumer
needs, fostering relationships with
women and minority business
owners and suppliers, or developing
a truly diverse work force.
Diversity priorities at Aetna
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L everaging diversity as an organizational
initiative in increasing our business
opportunities and partnerships with
multicultural markets, suppliers, consumers
and the communities we serve.
uilding a diverse and high-performing
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workforce focusing on recruitment,
development, retention and advancement
of talent at all levels of the organization.
reating an inclusive workplace that
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fosters full employee engagement, so our
people do their best work in providing
quality service and value.
P roviding enterprise-wide and
department-specific diversity education
integrated into executive, supervisory and
employee learning, as well as enhancing
cultural competency for Sales, Patient
Management and Customer Service areas.
P artnering with the Racial and Ethnic
Disparities in Health Care Task Force,
which works to reduce disparities in
health care by providing tailored support
for our members and leveraging the
Aetna Foundation’s research funding.
Workforce and workplace
diversity
Reflecting the changing face of America,
Aetna seeks to build a workforce that
fully understands the customers we serve.
Of approximately 35,000 employees,
76 percent are women and 31 percent
are people of color. Women represent
64 percent of management/supervisory
positions, while people of color represent
16 percent.
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Recruitment
We have a talent acquisition strategy
that aims to attract highly motivated
and talented individuals, including
under-represented groups, such as
people with disabilities and gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender
individuals (LGBT), and meeting the
unique needs of the multigenerational
groups represented in the workforce.
Employees are provided with a number
of opportunities to learn more about its
impact, including:
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Web-based training that raises
employee awareness of diversity.
Cultural competency training program
for Aetna’s health care professionals to
increase awareness and improve the
way we assist members.
“Diversity in Action” lecture series to
help employees think about diversity in
new and different ways.
Our Leadership Development Program
initiatives focus on identifying emerging
talent among under-represented groups.
Our Diverse Discoveries program,
for example, provides training for midlevel and senior-level women and people
of color.
We have received wide recognition
related to diversity, for example:
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00 Percent Perfect Score, Human
Rights Campaign Corporate Equality
Index, 2007
The National Gay & Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce and the
Human Rights Campaign have named
Aetna President Mark T. Bertolini
the winner of their first Healthcare
Leadership Award
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op 40 Companies for Diversity,
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Black Enterprise magazine, 2007
007 Legacy Award for Corporation of
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the Year from the 100 Black Men
of Greater Washington, D.C. Inc.
op 50 Companies for Black MBAs
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To Work, Black MBA Magazine, 2007
op 10 Companies for Executive
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Women, National Association for
Female Executives, 2007
Employee diversity programs
Aetna values and respects the strengths
and differences among employees and
recognizes that customers, suppliers,
strategic partners and communities are
increasingly diverse and multicultural.
Supplier diversity
Emerging markets
At Aetna, we take every opportunity to
be inclusive in our sourcing activities.
Therefore, we continue to be proactive
in reaching out to minority- and womenowned suppliers. In addition, we have
expanded our definition of diverse
supplier to include LGBT-owned businesses,
as well as small business classifications.
Over the last 20 years, the evolution of
the U.S. marketplace has required Aetna
to enhance its business strategies.
Program Elements:
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In 2007, we purchased more than
$84 million in goods and services from
certified minority-owned and womenowned business enterprises (MWBEs).
ur supplier diversity goals for 2008
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are to:
Our employee resource groups
allow employees to share their cultures;
give back to the communities; network
with senior management; and attain
career building skills.
> Set 2008 scorecard objectives for each
Business Area which include first tier
and 2nd tier supplier responsibilities
Aetna employee resource
groups include:
> Update our reporting capabilities to
include our expanded definition of a
diverse supplier and new Economic
Impact Report (special non-certified
diverse businesses).
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etna Native-American Employee
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Resource Group
etna Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
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Transgender Employee Resource Group
etna Women’s Employee
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Resource Group
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etna Working Mothers’ Employee
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Resource Group
sian American Employee
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Resource Group
T elework Community Employee
Resource Group
As part of this business strategy, we
have an Emerging Markets team to
facilitate the following components:
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> Continue to increase our expense with
diverse suppliers
etna African American Employee
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Resource Group
etna Hispanic Employee
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Resource Group
We have created and implemented
strategies that concentrate on bringing
our health and related benefits to some
of the fastest growing segments of our
population — the African American,
Latino and Asian markets.
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L everage the Supplier Diversity Advisory
Council to more fully integrate Supplier
Diversity into our business processes.
e maintain a website for potential
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suppliers: www.aetna.com/about/
aetna/sd/
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Drive incremental business through
multicultural relationships.
Provide consulting services to
develop appropriate infrastructure
(through the development of
culturally relevant marketing
materials, advertising strategies, open
enrollment campaigns, multilingual
translations, transcreations and
interpretations, and call center and
supplier diversity strategies).
Enhance market presence within
targeted business communities.
To that end, we are focusing our
efforts on better addressing the
needs of a multicultural/multilingual
marketplace by supporting community
events, educating employers, and
working with brokers and providers
to support our business objectives.
e use our online, self-registration tool to
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provide prospective diverse suppliers with
an opportunity to “push” their service
offerings to us.
etna’s senior leadership monitors
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quarterly progress on diversity goals.
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Public policy leadership
As a health care benefits company, Aetna believes it has no more pressing
social responsibility than playing a significant role in helping to transform
the health care system. We are determined to be a positive force for change.
In 2007, as in previous years, we made a tangible difference in the health
care system through a number of innovative public policy proposals and
business initiatives that are already having an impact nationally and locally.
Our goal will not be reached until all Americans have access to affordable
and high-quality health care services.
A plan to transform
health care
Aetna continued to lead the way in
2007 when it created and distributed a
comprehensive health care reform plan
called “To Your Health! Aetna’s Proposal
for Health Care System Transformation.”
A pioneering effort, To Your Health!
delivers an informative statement of
how Aetna believes meaningful change
can be achieved and a detailed set of
proposals to help make a difference in
the future well-being of all Americans.
We are sharing To Your Health! with
our constituents and public policy
leaders, and we invite them to use
it as a roadmap to achieving health
care system solutions or as a catalyst
for meaningful dialogue and analysis.
The plan is available on our website at
www.aetna.com/about/america/.
The pillars of the plan are:
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Get and keep everyone covered
Maintain the employer-based system
and export its strengths to make the
individual market function better
Reorient the system toward
prevention, value and quality of care
Use market incentives to improve
coverage, drive down costs and make
the system more consumer-oriented
With this plan as a framework for
change, Aetna’s initiatives are helping
to build a better health care system.
We believe in a holistic approach for
expanding access to health insurance —
all stakeholders need to work together
to address the crisis of the uninsured.
For our part, we are developing business
solutions to help expand health care
access to more Americans, and we are
supporting meaningful reforms at the
state and federal levels.
Thoughtful change
Leadership in the health care policy
arena means taking a thoughtful look at
conventional policies and practices, and
imagining a better way for all health care
consumers. It also means putting our
vision into practice.
Aetna did this in 2002 when it
formulated an influential set of guidelines
for health insurers defining appropriate
and inappropriate uses of individuals’
genetic information. In 2007, we built
on this industry-leading effort by offering
members confidential telephone and
web-based cancer genetic counseling
services as a component of benefit plans
that cover genetic testing.
Aetna also has focused in recent years
on achieving racial and ethnic equality
in health care, and is the first national
health benefits company to launch an
integrated business and philanthropic
approach to addressing those factors
that stand in the way.
We enhanced our efforts in 2007 through
a newly formed Racial and Ethnic Equality
Advisory Committee, which will play a
critical role in helping to improve the
quality of care and health outcomes for
all patients in the future.
A better health care
experience
Fostering improved health
literacy
Our business solutions are changing
the way more and more consumers
interact with the health care system.
Our innovative transparency efforts
are giving consumers access to online
price and quality information for their
physicians before they go for treatment.
We expanded our transparency program
in 2007, providing members access to:
Across a wide spectrum of diseases,
patients with low health literacy have
greater difficulty managing chronic
conditions. Consequently, Aetna is
engaged in numerous activities to help
address the problem of inadequate
health literacy, and improve the health
outcomes of many Americans.
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uality and efficiency information for
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71,000 specialists in 22 states and the
District of Columbia
P rice information for 270,000 physicians
in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
Aetna also has expanded access to
its CareEngine®-powered Personal
Health Record, which is now available
to Aetna Individual Advantage members
in 29 states and the District of Columbia
(as of July 2008). Through our secure
member website, members have aroundthe-clock access to their medical records
in one secure, online location. These
members benefit from our CareEngine
system, which scans their health record
continuously for opportunities to improve
care and for possible urgent situations.
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Aetna is helping to build greater
health literacy across the country,
through initiatives such as our free
consumer resource guide “Navigating
Your Health benefits for Dummies”
and our consumer education website
www.PlanForYourHealth.com.
Also, the 2008 African American
History Calendar focuses solely on
health literacy.
Aetna is collaborating with
organizations such as the Connecticut
Public Health Association to address
health literacy at the member level.
Aetna also has delivered cultural
competency training to its clinical staff.
Aetna has partnered with Magic
Johnson Enterprises to address health
literacy through community events and
community-based initiatives.
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Environmental practices
As a health care benefits company,
Aetna is dedicated to helping
people achieve health and financial
security, and we believe fostering
a healthy environment is an
important part of this mission.
We are committed to limiting our
environmental impact by reducing
our energy consumption and the
use of other resources, and we
will work to identify emerging
environmental issues and address
them, to the extent that we can,
because we recognize the impact of
a clean environment on the health
of our members.
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Aetna is a participant in the Business
Roundtable’s “Climate Resolve” initiative
and was a charter member of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s
WasteWise program, which seeks waste
reductions through a combination of
prevention and recycling. Specifically,
Aetna has implemented:
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corporate-wide initiative to reduce
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paper usage both internally and externally,
with the goal of transforming today’s
paper-driven business process to an
e-driven process by 2010. As a result,
Aetna is reducing its paper usage by
10 percent annually.
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The recycling of paper, cardboard,
glass and plastic bottles at Aetnaowned facilities. Also, 10 percent to
30 percent of all corporate printed
materials are done on recycled paper,
depending on the nature of the job.
Environmentally friendly practices
throughout our office environment.
Aetna today uses energy-saving
devices and equipment to minimize
power consumption, and we purchase
ultra-low sulfur fuels for generators
and boilers.
Corporate governance
Aetna’s reputation is one of the
company’s most valuable assets.
We have earned this reputation
over the course of 155 years by
delivering quality products and
services, and by adhering to the
highest standards of business
conduct. These standards include
sound corporate governance
policies to address the interests
of our constituents.
An important principle of good
governance is transparency. Therefore,
we make our key corporate governance
policies and practices publicly available
on our website. The site, which can
be accessed from Investor Relations
on www.aetna.com, contains key
information about our corporate
governance in one simple, clear and
easy-to-navigate location.
Those policies provide a framework for
governance of the company consistent
with shareholder and other constituent
interests, and with the principles behind
the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the
New York Stock Exchange’s corporate
governance rules. We believe that
sharing our corporate governance
principles with all of our key stakeholders
will help ensure that our commitment
to excellence, integrity and accountability
is apparent to all.
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Corporate responsibility recognitions
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etna has been named FORTUNE magazine’s most admired company in the Health Care:
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Insurance and Managed Care category for 2008. FORTUNE ranks companies in various
industry sectors in eight categories, including social responsibility.
etna was ranked 23rd on CRO’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2008. The list recognizes the
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corporate responsibility efforts of corporations in eight categories: climate change, employee
relations, environment, financial, governance, human rights, lobbying and philanthropy.
etna and Ron Williams, Chairman, CEO and President, were awarded the A. Leon
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Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law, a national civil rights legal organization, for 2007. The award recognizes Aetna’s
long-standing record of diversity and corporate social responsibility.
lack Enterprise named Aetna to its 2008 list for “Top 40 companies for diversity,” the third
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straight year Aetna has earned this distinction.
etna was named one of the Top Companies for Executive Women for 2008 by the National
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Association for Female Executives. The list acknowledges those “in the vanguard of
changing the face of executive suites and boardrooms”.
31.05.300.1 (9/08)
©2008 Aetna Inc.
