Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Podcast: Aetna Letter Sparks Controversy

Summary: After announcing an exit from the majority of the healthcare exchanges in which it currently operates, Aetna is receiving criticism over a letter it had previously sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ). In it, Aetna’s CEO stated that if the merger between his organization and Humana was blocked, the company would have to leave the exchange business. Aetna claims to have left due to financial concerns and profitability issues with the program setup, but some wonder if the letter was meant as a veiled threat. Experts point out that if the latter is true, the attempt was misguided – the DOJ typically does not consider political pressures when examining anti-trust cases and is attempting to block the merger regardless of the letter’s intent.

Hear the full podcast from Marketplace here.

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