Aetna Continues National Dialogue to Improve Equality in Health Care, Honored in Washington for Efforts

Aetna was honored in Washington, D.C., for ongoing commitment and success to improving disparities in health care. [Pictured here] Michele Toscano, program manager for Aetna’s Racial and Ethnic Equality Initiative; Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D.; Wayne Rawlins, M.D., Aetna national medical director; Floyd Green, head of Aetna Community Relations & Urban Relations; and Cain Hayes, head of Aetna Public & Labor, joined representatives from seven other honoree organizations last week to spotlight best practices and address challenges. (Photo: Business Wire)

HARTFORD, Conn.--()--Helping people from different races and backgrounds benefit from quality health care is one of Aetna’s top priorities. Last week, Aetna joined Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D, for a discussion about health care equality. Aetna was one of eight organizations that received recognition by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), together with the White House Business Council and the National Business Group on Health, for the company’s commitment to improving health care equality.

The talks focused on the following issues:

  • Differences in health care among minority and non-minority groups
  • Best practices that companies can use to help employees access equal levels of health care
  • How to reduce gaps in health care outcomes

“We must continue to develop targeted programs that address differences in health care among people of different races and ethnic backgrounds,” said Aetna’s Wayne Rawlins, M.D., national medical director. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to share ideas with the nation’s leaders in this area.”

Studies show that people in the United States of different racial and ethnic backgrounds tend to receive lower quality health care than non-minorities. This is true even when health insurance status and income levels are compared. To help fix this problem, Aetna’s health care equality programs include:

  • Race and ethnicity information from nearly six million Aetna members who have voluntarily shared this data
  • A dashboard that helps identify health conditions that are more common among ethnic and racial minority populations. This information is used to create targeted programs to improve health outcomes
  • Aetna Employee Resource Groups who help increase understanding of cultural beliefs and possible barriers to health care

Visit the Racial and Ethnic Equality website for more information about Aetna’s efforts.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services and health information technology services. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50380600&lang=en

Contacts

Aetna
Tammy Arnold, 713-721-7891
ArnoldTD@aetna.com

Release Summary

Aetna was honored in Washington, D.C., for ongoing commitment and success to improving health care equality.

Contacts

Aetna
Tammy Arnold, 713-721-7891
ArnoldTD@aetna.com