U.S. carriers expand health insurance businesses into China

Abby Christopher — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:00:43 -0400

Aetna has opened an office in Shanghai, where it hopes to expand its health insurance business. Other insurers such as CIGNA, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint also have established roots in China, all with an aim to sell supplemental health insurance. "It's a real hotbed place for large U.S. multinational or multinational corporations [from other nations] to open or expand their offices," said Martha Temple, president of Aetna Global Benefits. As the U.S. economy--and as a result, the health insurance market--becomes increasingly unstable, U.S. carriers are looking for new ways to expand into other markets such as China.

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