“Meet David” – Aetna Benefits AdvisorSM Now Available to Individuals and Families Looking for Coverage

HARTFORD, Conn., August 24, 2009 — “Hi, I’m David, and I’m guessing you’re here because you need a little help finding a health insurance plan that works for you.”

This type of introduction is probably very common when people call an insurance company or meet with a broker to try to find a plan on their own. However, individuals looking for an Aetna (NYSE: AET) plan on their own may be surprised to hear this greeting when they go to a website – www.AetnaHealthNow.com 

On this site, consumers will find the Aetna Benefits Advisor^SM, an interactive decision support tool designed for Aetna by The Jellyvision Lab. Using easy-to-understand language, the advisor asks questions about health care needs, lifestyle, financial status and other aspects that would impact the type of plan* a person may need. Individuals can access the advisor any time that is convenient for them, go through the process at their own pace, review any information they need to, look at other plans options, and also have the option of contacting a live representative at any time.

“We know that making health benefits decisions can be confusing at times, and individuals who are buying insurance on their own can’t go into a Human Resources department and get someone to explain their coverage options,” said Frank McCauley, head of Aetna’s Consumer Business Segment. “The Benefits Advisor asks important questions that everyone should consider when purchasing a plan and uses the answers provided by each individual to help guide them through this process.”

For those who have recently lost employer-based coverage, the Aetna Benefits Advisor can identify whether an individual may be eligible for COBRA** coverage and if so, explain how it works generally.  “David,” the host, also describes Aetna’s support of legislation that would help guarantee access to health care to all consumers.

Once an individual has gone through the entire process, the Benefits Advisor creates a summary page with the plan that was selected based upon the person’s responses. This page can be bookmarked or the information can be e-mailed directly to the individual.

Positive Response to Benefits Advisor
Last month, Aetna announced an agreement to offer the Aetna Benefits Advisor to employers nationwide. In addition, the tool was also piloted with several customers in the last year – most notably with federal employees. So far, those individuals who have used the Benefits Advisor have expressed a high level of satisfaction.

When surveyed about whether the experience was helpful, on a 5-point scale, 96 percent of employees gave it a 4 or 5, with 77 percent giving it a 5. Thousands of those surveyed said that Aetna Benefits Advisor was informative, personalized, engaging and easy to understand.

“How many people do you know enjoy picking out an insurance policy? Anybody? But millions of Americans need to get insurance on their own and they’re looking online for help,” said Harry Gottlieb, founder & CEO of The Jellyvision Lab. “The Benefits Advisor not only provides super easy-to-understand guidance, walking people through the process of selecting their insurance, but does it in a way that’s actually kind of fun, and totally personalized to their specific needs.”

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, 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.

About The Jellyvision Lab
The Jellyvision Lab is an interactive design company with a unique vision for human-machine interface.  Known for creating award-winning, best-selling interactive entertainment properties such as YOU DON’T KNOW JACK and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD-ROM, the company’s expertise lies in interface design: we create intelligent interfaces that simulate human conversation.  Thus we call our experiences “conversations.” A well-crafted conversation has seamless pacing and awareness, personality and wit, so that it feels like a real person is just behind the machine. The Jellyvision Lab assists larger organizations with marketing, lead conversion, training, consumer education and decision-making. Please check out our web site, www.jellyvisionlab.com for more info and examples.

* Aetna Advantage Plans for Individuals and Families include PPO-style plans; high-deductible health plans compatible with health savings accounts; preventive and hospital plans that combine coverage for preventive care with catastrophic coverage for services like inpatient hospital care and outpatient surgery; and an optional dental PPO plan. Each Aetna Advantage Plan is also available on a child-only basis, so that parents can obtain health coverage for their children, even if no other family members enroll in the plan. All of these plans are medically underwritten, meaning that all applicants and their enrolling dependents are subject to medical underwriting to determine eligibility and placement within the appropriate risk category.

** The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act provides continuation of group health coverage that otherwise might be terminated. More information is available at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_cobra.html