Enhanced Physician-Specific Cost and Quality Information Now Available at www.aetna.com

Physician-specific price information now available for 70,000 physicians; clinical quality and efficiency information available for 15,000 physicians

Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced that physician-specificinformation on health care costs, clinical quality and efficiency isnow available to its members at www.aetna.com. As announced in June,Aetna is helping its members make informed health care decisions byproviding online access to transparent price and quality informationfor participating physicians in select markets including:

-- Price, clinical quality and efficiency information for physicians in Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Northern Virginia; Maryland; Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Springfield, Ohio; Northern Kentucky; Southeast Indiana; and South Florida.

-- Price information only for physicians in Kansas City, Kan. and Mo.; Las Vegas, Nev.; and Pittsburgh, Pa.

Aetna launched price transparency in August of 2005 in the greaterCincinnati area, providing its members with the ability to researchphysician-specific pricing before receiving a service at the doctor'soffice. The enhanced combination of physician-specific cost, clinicalquality and efficiency information is another first from a nationalhealth insurer.

"Price transparency in Cincinnati was one piece of a much broadercommitment to helping our members make well-informed health carepurchasing decisions," said Aetna CEO and President Ronald A.Williams. "These latest enhancements deliver on our commitment toextend the geographic reach of our transparency program and help ourmembers make decisions based on overall value -- including both costand quality."

"We worked closely with the medical community as we expanded thisinitiative, and solicited their feedback on the type of information weare providing and how to offer it in a way that is understandable totheir patients," said Aetna Chief Medical Officer Troyen A. Brennan,M.D. "While we don't expect our members to make health care decisionsbased on this data alone, we do hope it will serve as an additionalresource for information about health care quality and costs."

The physician-specific clinical quality and efficiency informationis taken from Aetna's Aexcel network option. Aexcel was launched in2003 to provide consumers with access to independent, objectiveinformation to aid them in selecting specialists and to help mitigateincreases in medical costs. Aexcel-designated specialists undergo anevaluation process that reviews their delivery of care based onmeasures of clinical performance and efficiency, including prevalenceof complications and repeat procedures.

Members can access the enhanced information by logging on to AetnaNavigator (www.aetna.com), Aetna's password-protected member website,searching for their physician using the "Find Health Care in DocFind"link, and choosing "Provider Detail." Members who view rates will seethe actual rates specific to their health plan for office visits,diagnostic tests, minor procedures, major procedures and otherservices. Rate information is included for up to 30 of the most widelyaccessed services by specialty. Members interested in clinical qualityand efficiency will see whether the physician is Aexcel-designated.For those who are Aexcel-designated, the page will show whether he orshe has met the Aexcel criteria for clinical performance, efficiencyand volume of Aetna members treated.

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health carebenefits companies, serving approximately 29.9 million people withinformation and resources to help them make better informed decisionsabout their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional andconsumer-directed health insurance products and related services,including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life,long-term care and disability plans, and medical managementcapabilities. Our customers include employer groups, individuals,college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans andgovernment-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com