Financial Wellbeing and Emotional Support- Important Parts of Life Insurance Awareness Month

Hartford, Conn, September 13, 2012 — September marks Life Insurance Awareness Month, a time for consumers to become more educated about the importance of having life insurance. Aetna  (NYSE: AET) takes this time to remind customers and their employees about the importance of being financially protected.

With the economy still struggling, many Americans may have to choose between paying bills and buying life insurance. The decision to go without life insurance coverage could put families at financial risk, leaving them unprepared for the future. According to a study done by the research firm LIMRA, three-in-ten American households (35 million) do not have life insurance and half say they need more life insurance(1). Other major statistics showed:

• More than half of Generation X and Y households need more life insurance. 
• Seven in ten women agree having life insurance is a necessity and all people should have it.
• Those who make between $35,000 and $99,999 per year represent the largest group of uninsured households.
•  One-third of married women do not have life insurance, despite the fact that seven out of ten households are dual income.

"September is a great time to start thinking about including life insurance as part of overall financial planning," said Dan Fishbein head of Aetna Group Insurance, Dental, Vision and Consumer Financial Solutions. "It is important for consumers to understand how much life insurance they need. Depending on a person's life stage and family situation, even an employer-paid benefit may not be enough."

Aetna offers access to a variety of life and the end-of-life services, such as:

• Funeral planning and care advocacy.
• Financial and estate planning.

Aetna also offers coverage provisions such as the Accelerated Death Benefit; which may offer up to 75% cash payout for those who are terminally ill and have between twelve and twenty four months to live.*

Aetna also has teamed up with The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, also known as LIFE, to help consumers make informed decisions concerning life insurance. LIFE provides easy to use online tools such as the Human Life Calculator and videos featuring real consumer testimonials.

(1)Trillion Dollar Baby Growing Up - The Sales Potential of the U.S. Underinsured Life Insurance Market.

*Policy conditions and limitations apply.

About LIFE
Formed in 1994, the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers make smart insurance decisions to safeguard their families' financial futures. The main topics they address in their educational efforts are life, disability, long-term care and health insurance. Their goal is to help consumers better understand these products and where they fit within their overall financial plans. LIFE also seeks to remind people of the important role insurance professionals perform in helping families, businesses, and individuals find the insurance products that best fit their needs. LIFE does not endorse any product, company or insurance advisor.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 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.