Aetna, Inc.(nyse: AET) is an American diversified health care benefits company, providing a range of traditional and consumer directed health care insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care, and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Aetna is a member of the Fortune 100.

History

In 1867, Aetna issued its first farm mortgage loan. By 1924, Aetna had $94 million, representing 43 percent of its assets, invested in farm mortgages. It ended this line of business in 1947.

In 1960, the company expanded outside the U.S., buying a Canadian company, Excelsior Life Insurance Company. In 1968, it bought a majority interest in Producer's and Citizen's Cooperative Assurance Company, of Sydney, Australia. In 1981, it bought a 40 percent interest in two Chilean companies, and soon thereafter invested in ventures in England, Spain, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and Korea.

In 1998, Aetna bought NYLCare Health Plans for $1.05 billion, adding 2.2 million members,1. The next year, it bought Prudential HealthCare for $1 billion, making it the largest provider of health benefits in the U.S., with more than 21 million members.

In 2000, Aetna sold its financial services and international businesses to ING for $7.7 billion, spun off its health business to its shareholders, thus focusing its business as an independent health and group benefits company,

In 2002, Aetna agreed to streamline communications, reduce administrative complexity, and improve the quality of the health care system, ending litigation between Aetna and 700,000 physicians and medical societies. The agreement also resulted in establishment of an independent foundation (Physicians' Foundation for Health Systems Excellence) to focus on critical health care issues 2 and a physicians' advisory board.

Operations

In 2005, the company had $1.1 billion in earnings.

Members

Aetna provides health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability, and long-term care insurance and employee benefits, primarily through employer-paid (fully or partly) insurance and benefit programs, and through 3http://www.aetnamedicare.com. Membership numbers: 4 (as of March 31, 2008)

• 17.467 million — medical members
• 14.166 million — dental members
• 10.951 million — pharmacy members
• 13.609 million — group insurance members
• 843,000+ — health-care professionals
• 490,000+ — primary-care doctors and specialists
• 4,919 — hospitals