News Releases

ATLANTA, September 22, 2009 — Aetna Inc. (NYSE:  AET) will sponsor a town hall conversation on the national health system reform debate, presented by 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc.  Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General of the United States, will be among the panelists, who will be moderated by CNN anchor Tony Harris.

The town hall meeting will be held Thursday, Sept. 24, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at Atlanta’s Hyatt Regency hotel.  It is being funded as part of an $80,000 grant from the Aetna Foundation.

Dr. Satcher is director of The Satcher Health Leadership Institute and Center of Excellence in Health Disparities, which he established in 2006 at Morehouse School of Medicine as a natural extension of his experience in improving public health policy for all Americans and his commitment to eliminating health disparities for minorities, poor people and other disadvantaged groups.

Joining Dr. Satcher on the panel will be:  Dr. Sheila Robinson, a cardiologist and president of the Georgia Medical Association; Dr. Kenneth Thorpe, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health; Dr. Rhonda Medows, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health; and Mohit Ghose, head of public affairs for Aetna.

“Aetna has been a leading voice on how our country can achieve meaningful health care reform,” said Cynthia Follmer, Aetna’s local market president for Georgia.  “Our goal is to get everyone covered, improve the quality of health outcomes, and provide better value for each dollar spent on health care in America.  We are very pleased to help present this important dialogue.”

Aetna has worked for several years with 100 Black Men of Atlanta to address health issues such as diabetes, asthma and childhood obesity, and the effects they have in the Atlanta community.

“We are delighted to work together with Aetna on this very important and timely topic,” said John T. Grant Jr., chief executive officer, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.  “Our relationship continues to provide opportunities to educate everyone on issues that are vital to the health and well being of our community.”

Aetna provides and administers health benefits to more than 600,000 people in Georgia.

About 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.
The mission of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. is to provide support and improve the quality of life for African Americans, particularly African American youth in the Atlanta community. The 100 is one of the city's strongest African American volunteer organizations focused on education, enrichment and empowerment. The organization's community work is performed through its flagship program, Project Success, a mentoring and academic support initiative with the following components: The 100 Academy (Saturday School), Mentoring, the 100 Resource Learning Center (100 RLC), the Collegiate 100, The Best Academy at Benjamin S. Carson, the Project Success Robotics Alliance, Family & Youth Empowerment Programs and Health & Wellness Initiatives. To learn more about Project Success, to volunteer, become a sponsor or make a donation visit www.100blackmen-atlanta.org.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.8 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates.  For more information, see www.aetna.com.