Questions and answers regarding slavery reparations and Aetna’s support of diversity

Has Aetna agreed to pay reparations for having sold policies on the lives of slaves?
No. Aetna acknowledged openly that for a few years shortly after its founding in 1853, the company insured the lives of slaves. We have expressed our deep regret for our participation in that practice. However, we believe that any company practices from nearly 150 years ago - an era defined by very different practices and customs - do not reflect our record of diversity and support of fairness and equality for all people in the years since.

Is Aetna being sued over the sale of policies on the lives of slaves?
A lawsuit seeks reparations from at least 15 corporations for their actions or actions of related companies more than a century ago, has already been dismissed by the U.S. District Court. The case is under appeal.

How long was Aetna involved in insuring slaves?
The information in our archives is limited and incomplete. In essence, we have some policies, a few hand-written documents and an agent's business card with Aetna Life's name on it that contains rate information. The period of time was about 1853 to about 1860.

How many policies were written?
We have five original policies in our archives. Altogether, there are 17 named slaves listed in policies either in our archives or mentioned in other sources. Some policies cover multiple lives. In all, we have evidence of 24 lives being covered. There is no conclusive data, however, on the number of policies written or premiums collected.

How much did Aetna profit by this practice?
There is no way of knowing whether the company ever profited.

Was Aetna the only company doing this?
Several other insurers, some of which are long defunct, appear to have sold these policies.

Regarding Aetna's record of diversity and support of fairness and equality for all people: What specific steps has Aetna taken to reach out to African-Americans?
We believe that, of all insurance companies, Aetna has the strongest record of supporting the African-American community. There are numerous examples.

• Aetna was the groundbreaking leader in the effort to reduce racial and ethnic disparities. In 2002, Aetna was the first national health benefits company to launch an integrated strategy to improve the quality of care for racial and ethnic minorities. This initiative includes voluntary data collection of race, ethnicity and language-preference data from our members, which has allowed us to create more culturally focused information and disease management and wellness programs; identify disparities; support and encourage new research; and test new approaches to reducing disparities in health care.
• Aetna has been participating with the offices of Senators Frist, Kennedy, Obama and Bingaman in advancing legislation (S 4024) that seeks to reduce disparities in health care. We are the only health insurer actively involved in shaping and advancing the bill.
• We're also a strong supporter of minority investment programs and community initiatives. Aetna's support of these programs has totaled about $1 million per year over the past 26 years in areas such as education, health, economic development, community partnerships and minority-owned business initiatives. Since 2000 alone, we've contributed more than $5 million. This year, we also committed $50 million in investments in minority- and women-owned businesses.
• We're a promoter of outstanding contributions in the African American community. Since 1982, Aetna has published yearly calendars that feature monthly profiles of African-American leaders and significant historic events.
• Aetna is active in national organizations that foster supplier diversity, including the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and is a charter member of the Conference Board's Council on Supplier Diversity.