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Aetna CEO Threatened Obamacare Pullout If Feds Opposed Humana Merger

(www.huffingtonpost.com)
142 points helloworld | 4 comments | 17 Aug 16 17:52 UTC | HN request time: 0.614s | source
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saosebastiao ◴[17 Aug 16 18:09 UTC] No.12306836[source]▶
Good. Block their deal, let them drop out of obamacare, and then give us the Single Payer that we've always deserved and watch those fuckers go bankrupt like they've always deserved.
replies(2): >>12306862 #>>12306899 #
danielweber ◴[17 Aug 16 18:14 UTC] No.12306899[source]▶
Anyone who thinks this is leading to single-payer is dreaming. Whether you think it's a good idea or not, the political will wasn't there for in 6 years ago, and there is much less political will for it now.
replies(3): >>12306949 #>>12308455 #>>12313269 #
1. Apocryphon ◴[17 Aug 16 18:18 UTC] No.12306949[source]▶
Then at least Aetna will twist in the wind for their avarice.
replies(2): >>12307936 #>>12313144 #
2. maxerickson ◴[17 Aug 16 20:03 UTC] No.12307936[source]▶
By walking away from the exchanges they are just walking away from a money losing business. That isn't twisting in the wind.

The ACA established programs to make payments to insurance companies that got unusually expensive customers but the funding for those payments has been blocked.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160517/NEWS/160519...

replies(1): >>12308038 #
3. harryh ◴[17 Aug 16 20:13 UTC] No.12308038[source]▶
The issue with those blocked payments is that the program was established to deal with an uneven distribution of unusually expensive customers. Insurance Company A makes more than expected so it pays into the pool. Company B loses more than expected so it draws from the pool. Thinks were expected to even out overall.

But what has happened is that all (or most) companies are losing money on the exchanges so there is no one to pay into the pool. Congressional Republicans have blocked funding the pool with government money because the pool wasn't supposed to cost money in the first place.

4. danielweber ◴[18 Aug 16 15:20 UTC] No.12313144[source]▶
Walking away has to be a fundamental right.