Corporate responsibility

Aetna’s focus on corporate responsibility is evident in everything we do, from adherence to strict ethical guidelines and corporate governance 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 2012 as one of America’s most community-minded companies, ranking fourth in “The Civic 50” survey.

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 $413 million in grants and sponsorships to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation focuses its grant making in three program areas:

• Reversing the obesity epidemic
• Promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health care
• Advancing integrated health care and coordinated 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.
• Partnering with the company's Racial and Ethnic Health Equality Task Force to address health issues that are more prevalent among various ethnic and racial minority populations.

We are diversifying our supplier base, purchasing more than $184 million in goods and services from small businesses and certified minority-, women- and LGBT-owned business enterprises in 2011.

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.

• 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.
• Aetna's energy-use reduction initiatives continue to hit important milestones. In 2011, we reduced energy use across the board at Aetna owned and leased facilities. The total reduction in 2011 over 2010 was equal to 6.4 million kilowatt hours (KWH).

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Aetna employees have a long history of service to our nation. For 157 years, they have heeded the call to come to the aid of their fellow citizens at home and abroad. Our archives contain rich details of stories, service and sacrifice by Aetna's military veterans. More 

Aetna's reputation is one of the company's most valuable assets. We have earned this reputation over the course of 157 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.

Those policies provide a framework for governance of the company consistent with shareholder and other constituent interests, and with the principles behind the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the New York Stock Exchange's corporate governance rules. We believe that sharing our corporate governance principles with all of our key stakeholders will help ensure that our commitment to excellence, integrity and accountability is apparent to all.