Aetna Selected As A ‘Preferred Provider’ By The Lehigh Valley Business Coalition On Health Care

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 06, 2012 — Aetna (NYSE: AET) has been selected as one of two preferred providers by the Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Health Care. Aetna earned the “preferred provider” designation by demonstrating superior performance, pricing or service, and by giving area employers more flexibility in selecting plans that best meet their needs.

The Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Health Care is a multi-state, membership alliance of employers striving to provide the finest health care coverage possible for their employees, in the most economical, high-quality fashion. Coalition members include medium and large employers, including large national employers, which self-insure with generally 200 to several thousand employees.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to continue our long-standing alliance with Aetna,” said Thomas J. Croyle, president of the Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Health Care. “Aetna is a recognized leader in innovations transforming health care today. They are fully aligned with the coalition’s visions for improving health care in our region.”

Plans that are endorsed by the Coalition Board typically scored better in the National Business Coalition on Health's “eValu8” measuring and evaluating health plan performance process, and are clearly aligned with the Coalition's goals for improving quality, patient safety, transparency and efficient care delivery. In addition, the endorsed plans offered the exclusive pricing and service options for Coalition members in a broad market area yielding significant savings for employers.

“Aetna deeply appreciates the recognition from the Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Health Care,” said Patrick Young, president of Aetna’s Pennsylvania market. “We work hard to ensure that our products, services and plan designs are aligned with our customers’ health benefits strategies. The Lehigh Valley is an important market for us, and we welcome the opportunity to further expand our presence there.”

Aetna provides health benefits to more than 1 million members in Pennsylvania. Its members have access to a network that includes more than 200 hospitals and more than 31,000 primary care and specialist physicians.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.1 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services and health information technology services. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.