Aetna Statement On ‘Cover Florida’ Plan

HARTFORD, Conn.— Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) today issued the following statement in response to the announcement made by the office of Florida Governor Charlie Crist on State Senate Bill 2534 and the “Cover Florida” Plan:

“We applaud Governor Crist for taking this important first step in an effort to improve health care for the citizens of Florida,” said Mark T. Bertolini, president of Aetna. "Ensuring access to high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans should be the nation’s top domestic priority, and we intend to continue working with the governor and legislature to offer our expertise and perspective.

“We feel strongly, for example, that efforts to strengthen the competitive health care marketplace will be most effective if paired with efforts to strengthen public health programs, such as Medicaid and SCHIP,” said Bertolini. “It is also important to develop mechanisms so that people can benefit from innovations pioneered by the competitive marketplace, such as disease management. Transforming the health care system is a shared responsibility that requires public and private sector leadership, coordination and collaboration. Aetna has worked closely with the Crist administration to help address the issue of the uninsured, and is looking forward to continued discussions about making affordable coverage more readily available in Florida.”