Aetna to prod vendors to offer health insurance

Aetna Inc. has announced it will begin requiring its more than 1,300 vendors that supply Aetna with food, design work, cleaning services, paper and other products and services to provide employees with health insurance. Aetna sees the move as "both an opportunity and an obligation" to help reduce the number of uninsured workers, said Chief Executive Ronald Williams. Aetna's goal is to have at least 80 percent of its vendors offering benefits by 2010 and all vendors offering benefits by 2011.