Aetna : Thomas J. Grote Tapped to Lead Banner|Aetna Joint Venture

PHOENIX, May 9 , 2017 - Thomas J. Grote, a 30-year veteran leader at Aetna has been named CEO of the jointly owned health plan that was announced by Banner Health and Aetna last October.

The joint venture combines Banner's fully integrated care teams and care-management capabilities with Aetna's health plan expertise and analytical insights. Its aim is to promote better health, enhance care coordination and clinical effectiveness and increase patient access to their own health information. Making health care more simple and health records more accessible is a common goal of both partners.

'I congratulate Tom for being named CEO of the Banner|Aetna joint venture,' said Dan Finke, senior vice president of network and clinical services for Aetna. 'I am confident that Tom's experience, leadership and vision will help make this new health plan thrive for years to come.

'We are pleased to have someone as experienced and committed as Tom taking the helm of this new organization,' said Chuck Lehn, president of Banner Health Network. 'He has a passion for creating a better health care experience for our members, and clear vision of what will make us successful.'

Grote, who assumes his new role immediately, will report directly to the Banner|Aetna joint venture board of directors.

Tom joined Aetna in 1987 as an employee benefits representative and held a variety of sales and management roles, including president of Aetna's Capitol Market, which includes Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In 2012, he spearheaded the team that created Aetna's first joint venture partnership, with Innovation Health, a leading health system in Northern Virginia.

Most recently, he served as president for Aetna's Arizona and New Mexico markets, while providing oversight of the West Territory. In that role, he played a critical part in building Aetna's relationship with Banner and helping to construct the joint venture.

Grote received a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from University of Notre Dame and has received the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist designation.

Banner|Aetna has recently obtained the necessary insurance licenses from the applicable Arizona regulators for the joint venture.

About Banner Health

Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner - University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 44.9 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, 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, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna's 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 and learn about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @AetnaNews

Aetna Media Contact:
Anjie Coplin
214-200-8056
CoplinA@aetna.com

Banner Health
Jennifer Ruble
602-747-3583
media@bannerhealth.com