Aetna 2008 Annual Report Download - page 37

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Annual Report - Page 32
Life and Disability Insurance
Our life insurance and disability operations are subject to extensive regulation. Changes in these regulations, such as
expanding the definition of disability or changing claim determination, settlement and/or payment practices, could
have a material impact on our life insurance and/or disability insurance operations and/or operating results.
International Regulation
Certain of our Health Care operations are conducted in foreign countries. These international operations are subject
to different legal and regulatory requirements in different jurisdictions, including various privacy, insurance, tax,
tariff and trade laws and regulations, as well as corporate, employment, intellectual property and investment laws
and regulations.
Anti-Money Laundering Regulations
Certain of our lines of business are subject to United States Department of the Treasury anti-money laundering
regulations. Those lines of business have implemented anti-money laundering policies designed to insure their
affected products comply with the regulations.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION/RISK FACTORS
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “1995 Act”) provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking
statements, so long as (1) those statements are identified as forward-looking, and (2) the statements are accompanied
by meaningful cautionary statements that identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those discussed in the statement. We want to take advantage of these safe harbor provisions.
Certain information contained in this MD&A is forward-looking within the meaning of the 1995 Act or Securities
and Exchange Commission rules. This information includes, but is not limited to: the Outlook for 2009 beginning
on page 3 and Risk Management and Market-Sensitive Instruments on page 14. In addition, throughout this MD&A,
we use the following words, or variations or negatives of these words and similar expressions, when we intend to
identify forward-looking statements:
• Expects • Intends •
Seeks •
Will •
Potential
• Projects • Plans •
Estimates •
Should •
Continue
• Anticipates • Believes •
May
Forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events, and are subject to a number
of significant uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside our control, that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those statements. You should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We
disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Risk Factors
You should carefully consider each of the following risks and all of the other information set forth in this MD&A or
elsewhere in our Annual Report or our Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks and other factors may affect
forward-looking statements, including those we make in this MD&A or elsewhere, such as in news releases or
investor or analyst calls, meetings or presentations. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones
we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial
may also adversely affect our business. Any of these risks or uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ
materially from our expectations and the expected results discussed in our forward-looking statements. You should
not consider past results to be an indication of future performance.
If any of the following risks or uncertainties develops into actual events, this could have a material adverse effect on
our business, financial condition or operating results. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could
decline materially.