CHICAGO, IL—June 3, 2014—Aon plc, the leading provider of global risk management and human resources solutions (NYSE: AON), today announced it was honored with a 2014 CIO 100 Award from IDG's CIO magazine, which recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology (IT). 

Aon and Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc, were recognized for the technology platform behind the Aon Active Health Exchange, the largest fully insured, multi-carrier private health exchange in the market.  The Aon Active Exchange provides greater choice and a new level of competition to health care benefits to empower employees as consumers. More than 600,000 employees and their family members enrolled in group health benefits through the Aon Active Health Exchange for the 2014 plan year.      

“We leveraged our vast experience in administering health benefits for more than 9 million individuals to develop an innovative technology platform that applies the increasingly familiar tools of successful online retail shopping experiences into the process of researching and selecting health insurance coverage,” said Matthew Heckler, CIO of Aon Hewitt. “Being recognized with a CIO 100 Award reinforces the critical role our technology plays in empowering consumers and ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to make the best decisions for them and their families.”

Aon Hewitt’s post-enrollment analysis, conducted by an independent third party, shows enrollees are beginning to make the transition from being passive health plan users to empowered and engaged consumers. Nearly 75 percent of enrollees in the Aon Active Health Exchange felt confident they chose the health plan that offered the best value for them and their family, and three-quarters said they had a good understanding of how they share the cost of group medical coverage with their employer.  In addition, the use of online decision support tools, including health plan comparisons, cost estimators and provider search tools was high: 

• 86 percent of employees used a comparison tool showing high level design features across plans.
• 66 percent used a tool to search for their network doctors and hospitals.
• 64 percent of employees used a “Need Help Deciding?” tool that walks them through a step-by-step decision process to select the plan that works best for them based on their ability to handle an unexpected medical expense versus the desire to minimize their payroll deductions.

“The Aon Active Health Exchange creates a marketplace where employees benefit from both strong competition for their business and the continued health benefits support of their company,” said Cary Grace, CEO of Aon Exchange Solutions. “Our innovative platform enables consumers to comparison shop and model different choices based on their individual needs. It also encourages insurance companies to deliver greater value and provides incentives for ongoing market innovation to benefit all stakeholders— consumers, employers and the insurance companies themselves.”  

Complete coverage of the 2014 CIO 100 awards will be online at http://www.cio100.com/ on August 1, 2014 and in the August 1st issue of CIO magazine.

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About the CIO 100 Awards
Recipients of this year's CIO 100 Award were selected through a three-step process. First, companies filled out an online application form detailing their innovative IT and business initiatives. Next, a team of external judges (many of them former CIOs) reviewed the applications in depth, looking for leading-edge IT practices and measurable results. Finally, CIO editors reviewed the judges' recommendations and selected the final 100. 

About CIO Magazine
CIO is the premier content and community resource for information technology executives and leaders thriving and prospering in this fast-paced era of IT transformation in the enterprise.  The award-winning CIO portfolio—CIO.com, CIO magazine (launched in 1987), CIO executive programs, CIO custom solutions, CIO Forum on LinkedIn, CIO Executive Council and CIO primary research—provides business technology leaders with analysis and insight on information technology trends and a keen understanding of IT’s role in achieving business goals. Additionally, CIO provides opportunities for IT solution providers to reach this executive IT audience.  The CIO Executive Council is a professional organization of CIOs created to serve as an unbiased and trusted peer advisory group. CIO is published by IDG Enterprise, a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading media, events, and research company. Company information is available at http://www.idgenterprise.com/.

About Aon Hewitt

Aon Hewitt empowers organizations and individuals to secure a better future through innovative talent, retirement and health solutions. We advise, design and execute a wide range of solutions that enable clients to cultivate talent to drive organizational and personal performance and growth, navigate retirement risk while providing new levels of financial security, and redefine health solutions for greater choice, affordability and wellness.  Aon Hewitt is the global leader in human resource solutions, with over 30,000 professionals in 90 countries serving more than 20,000 clients worldwide.  For more information on Aon Hewitt, please visit www.aonhewitt.com. 

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is the leading global provider of risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resources solutions and outsourcing services. Through its more than 66,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites to empower results for clients in over 120 countries via innovative and effective risk and people solutions and through industry-leading global resources and technical expertise. Aon has been named repeatedly as the world's best broker, best insurance intermediary, reinsurance intermediary, captives manager and best employee benefits consulting firm by multiple industry sources. Visit www.aon.com for more information on Aon and www.aon.com/manchesterunited to learn about Aon's global partnership and shirt sponsorship with Manchester United.

Media Contacts:

Maurissa Kanter, 847-442-0952, maurissa.kanter@aonhewitt.com

Amy Kaleniecki, 847-771-4225,