Corporate responsibility

Aetna’s focus on corporate responsibility is evident in everything we do, from adherence to strict ethical standards to longstanding support of the communities where we do business. We have a clear track record for social responsibility that starts with our member-focused mission statement and set of values and culminates in responsible business policies and practices. In fact, we were recognized in 2013 as one of America’s most community-minded companies in “The Civic 50” survey and were ranked tops in Fostering Civic Culture.

We believe in the power of strategic philanthropy to improve people's health and the quality of health care. Our independent philanthropic arm, the Aetna Foundation, is tackling several of today's most pressing health issues. Much of the Foundation's support addresses the needs of people most at risk of poor health or chronic conditions -- low-income, underserved or minority populations.

Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have awarded more than $427 million in grants and sponsorships to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation focuses its grant making on promoting wellness, health and access to high-quality care.

We are deliberately focused on diversity and inclusion as an organizational priority. We do this by: 

• Building a diverse and agile workforce by focusing on recruitment, development, advancement and retention of talent at all levels of the organization.
• Creating an inclusive workplace that fosters full engagement, so our employees do their best work in providing quality service and value.
• Providing enterprise-wide and department-specific diversity and inclusion education.

We remain focused on increasing our purchasing and business relationships with tradituonally underutilized suppliers, purchasing more than $211 million in goods and services from traditionally underutilized suppliers in 2012.

Aetna for many years has been committed to transforming health care in America by playing a leadership role in advancing public policy solutions. Since the adoption of health care legislation in March 2010, we are focused on achieving compliance, and we continue to offer the benefit of our experience to the rule-making process to help ensure the new law is implemented in a workable fashion.

Going forward, we advocate continued work in several key areas to help make health care reform more effective:

• Addressing the true drivers of medical costs, which are responsible for rising health care premiums
• Reforming the medical payment system
• Harnessing the power of health information technology
• Improving the quality of health care outcomes

Aetna is committed to reducing its carbon footprint through a comprehensive plan that includes recycling programs, energy-use reduction initiatives, sustainable building practices and sustainability-oriented collaborations with our suppliers. This significant commitment of resources has helped Aetna earn recognition as a company committed to protecting our most valued resources.

• In 2012, we doubled our annual production of clean energy with the installation of a new solar panel array at one of our Connectiicut properties. Overall, we have reduced our electrical consumption by 14,237,167 kwh since 2010, enough to power 1,504 homes for a full year.
• Early in 2012, Aetna earned Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver Certification for the nearly two-year long renovation of the Atrium building on its Hartford, CT, campus.
• Aetna’s teleworkers are reducing Aetna’s carbon footprint by preventing more than 79 million miles of driving per year, which saves more than 3.3 million gallons of gas and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 29,000 metric tons per year.

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Aetna strives to provide a safe, healthy work environment for its employees and others who work in or use our facilities.  Aetna’s safety program – developed and managed by Aetna’s Safety & Environmental Unit (S&E) – addresses those health and safety hazards commonly associated with our facilities, processes, and activities; this includes physical, chemical, ergonomic, or other hazards.

Every employee is provided online access to the Aetna Safety Handbook. An employee’s first introduction to the Safety Handbook is during new employee orientation. All new employees are encouraged to read the Safety Handbook thoroughly prior to beginning job activities.

This handbook discusses all aspects of the Aetna safety program, including: responsibilities; how and when to report accidents; how to report unsafe conditions and practices; what to do in case of an emergency, including evacuation; a description of hazards found in office settings and corrective actions; and the Safety committee.

Aetna's reputation is one of the company's most valuable assets. We have earned this reputation over the course of 160 years by delivering quality products and services, and by adhering to the highest standards of business conduct. These standards include sound corporate governance policies to address the interests of our constituents.

An important principle of good governance is transparency. Aetna, therefore, makes its key corporate governance policies and practices publicly available online. These corporate governance pages contain key information about Aetna's corporate governance in one simple, clear and easy-to-navigate location.