OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE:AET - News) announced today that it has begun selling health plans for individuals and their families throughout the state of Oklahoma. The new Aetna Advantage Plans for Individuals and Families will be effective September 1, and consumers will be able to purchase health insurance directly from Aetna or through independent insurance agents or brokers.

The plans offer affordable, comprehensive health coverage for a broad array of health care services, and provide online information tools to help consumers make informed health care decisions and lead healthy lifestyles. Individuals may choose from among nine medical plans, including PPO-style plans; high-deductible health plans compatible with health savings accounts; a preventive and hospital plan that combines coverage for preventive care with catastrophic coverage for services like inpatient hospital care and outpatient surgery; and an optional dental PPO plan. Each Aetna Advantage Plan is also available on a child-only basis, so that parents can obtain health coverage for their children, even if no other family members enroll in the plan.

"More than 640,000 people in Oklahoma are uninsured - that's 19 percent of Oklahoma's population,"(1) said Laurie Brubaker, head of Aetna Individual Markets. "Aetna is committed to helping uninsured and underserved residents find high-quality, affordable health care options. Currently, Aetna has more than 200,000 medical members in Oklahoma."

"We are offering a variety of health plans to accommodate individuals' different life circumstances. People's changing priorities determine the type of health care coverage they need," Brubaker said. "We designed the Aetna Advantage Plans to address the unique needs that arise during particular stages in life, such as graduating from college, getting married, raising a family, becoming a sole proprietor of a business, being between jobs or retiring early."

Individuals can log on to Aetna's website, choose the health insurance plans that best fit their current health care needs, receive price quotes and apply online, Brubaker added.

In addition to Oklahoma, Aetna Advantage Plans are currently being sold directly to consumers or through independent insurance agents and brokers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Additional information about Aetna's plans for individuals and their families is available at www.AetnaIndividual.com or by calling 1-800-MY-HEALTH or your insurance agent.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 34.9 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, long-term care and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans and government-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com

(1)Urban Institute and Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured estimates based on the Census Bureau's March 2005 and 2006 Current Population Survey, www.statehealthfacts.org. Accessed August 20, 2007.

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Source: Aetna

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