At a recent contract-signing ceremony held at the Tawuniya head office in Riyadh, Aetna’s Chairman and CEO Mark Bertolini said, “We are delighted to collaborate with Tawuniya to provide high-quality global health care solutions to meet the needs of our customers and theirs. Tawuniya is a firm that shares our mission to provide easy access to cost-effective, high-quality health care.”

Tawuniya CEO Ali Subaihin said, “We are pleased to work with Aetna, a Fortune 100 company, to offer a seamless approach to health care benefits for the many expatriates living in our country and for our Saudi citizens whether they are home or abroad. Our arrangement with Aetna fulfills Tawuniya’s ambitious plans to provide an international medical insurance program for our Saudi customers. We look forward to more opportunities to cooperate.”

As part of the alliance, Tawuniya is providing in-Kingdom cover for 80,000 Saudi students when they are back home. Aetna provides cover for them in the United States while they are attending college or graduate school on scholarships provided by the Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission. The relationship also offers a joint approach to Tawuniya’s global coverage for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Members will have access to Aetna’s global medical network of more than 100,000 hospitals and doctors outside of the U.S. and Aetna’s customer service platform.

Members of both groups will be served through Aetna’s Arabic-speaking call center in Dubai. Additionally, Tawuniya is providing exclusive services to Aetna’s customers living in Saudi Arabia, including Council of Cooperative Health Insurance-accredited cover for Aetna expatriate members residing in the Kingdom. Aetna members will have access to Tawuniya’s network of more than 1,100 direct-settlement hospitals and medical centers.

Sandip Patel, head of Aetna International, said, “Working together, we can offer customers comprehensive health care solutions to meet their needs. We believe our expertise in disease management, wellness and prevention programs can help people in Saudi Arabia live healthier lives.”

Customers of the Tawuniya-Aetna alliance will have access to Aetna’s broad range of online tools and services, including a secure website portal to access and manage their global benefits; mobile and tablet apps to find health care providers in their area and around the world; health and wellness information; health and security alerts; and drug and medical information translation services. In addition, as part of the relationship with Tawuniya, Aetna is providing Tawuniya with reinsurance as well as product development consulting.

About Aetna International

Aetna International is committed to helping create a stronger, healthier global community by delivering comprehensive health benefits and health management solutions worldwide. Aetna International's expatriate business is one of the industry's largest and most prominent international health benefits providers, supporting more than 500,000 members worldwide. The organization’s expatriate offerings include medical, dental, vision, life, disability and emergency assistance. Aetna International’s health management business collaborates with health care systems, government entities and plan sponsors around the world to design and build locally applied health management solutions to improve health, quality and cost outcomes.

For more information, see www.aetnainternational.com.