I wonder how Senator Joe from "The Hartford" will choose to defend this latest egregious ripoff from his real employers, the insurance industry?

It's the free market in action.

I hope this the hubris before the fall, but I fear that what we're seeing is more like a mafia chief reveling in his power to put it to others.

Conflate this with the f**king Banking Industry!

Its the same form of business ethic after all. Parasite Capitalism. Borrow from the feds or simply buy the feds and then don't reinvest back in the nation.

Its all cut from the same cloth so hang it around the necks of Lieberman and the wingnuts! Let them eat their own ignorance for a change. They cant complain about the banking bailouts on one hand and then worship the precious "private" health care economy. Private my ass. Its a racket and the only choice for 70% of americans is to go with or without.

The Big Banks, Wall Street, The Health Care Industry are all operating on the same principle: privatize the gains and put the losses back on the public.

A rhetorical question no more...

From another thread a while back I asked:

How much can you step on the face of Americans
in the name of capitalism before they will revolt?

I can answer it now: Until one's feet get tired. Americans faces are up to the challenge.
Unfortunately now I have a new rhetorical question: Is this what makes America so great?

I'd like to see the names, home addresses and families' photos posted in a public place so that that we can identify them wherever they go. What part of Death Panels are you not seeing? How many in Congress have some form of health insurance coverage thru AETNA? How much money has AETNA and its subsidiaries paid to Congress people? I want to see their names and the amounts. I want transparency, and I want it now.

The avarice of Aetna and its executives is stunning. Even worse is the behavior of members of congress blocking a robust public option that would prevent this very thing from happening.

Aetna is going to price 600,000 people out of their health insurance.

Pehaps another 400k will tighten their belts in other areas (food, medicine, college) or as Rush would say bend over and grab their ankles.

When the LIEberman weakened health plan is passed the 600k will be forced to buy insurance. Some will have no choice but to go back to Aetna.

Polls have shown that most people are happy with their insurance. I don't understand that result but, I'd be curious to see if people are still so happy with their plans.

Under the circumstances, you'd think private health insurance companies would be on their best behavior.

Why would you think that? Who's going to punish them?

.

Let's see Anit-Trust charges brought, now. Who will fight it?

it would be worse if this was news to anyone in Congress.

40 republicans, 3 DINOs, and skank LIEberman all know this full well, have known it, and have fought tooth and nail for AETNA and their ilk for more than a year now.

Obama knows it, yet he NEVER let single payer see the light of day.

What could possibly be surprising about AETNA being so arrogant as to make this announcement knowing full well that Obama and his corportist republican and democratic friends in Congress are fighting tooth and nail just so AETNA and their ilk can continue to do just this sort of thing.

How much can you step on the face of Americans
in the name of capitalism before they will revolt?

there is nothing capitalistic about the health insurance market - they operate WITHOUT any true competition. If they had for the last 40 years prices would be half what they are today.

I'm so shocked this has come out. it's almost as if the Aetna president thinks nobody can do -- or nobody in a position of power in the government would do -- anything about it!!!

How can that be? Joe? Ben? Harry? Barack? Max?

Luckily, there's football games and a big dinner tomorrow after church, and then maybe next week we'll find out who else has tiger woods been screwing...

We all know the public option is just obama bringing socialism...

...in your dreams, folks, in your dreams...

wink,

most people are happy with their insurance because they pay only a fraction of its cost. they have no concept of how much their employers are paying for it, and how much rapidly rising premiums are preventing companies from raising wages or investing the money elsewhere in the business.

most people are happy with their insurance because for the most part, it does exactly what it's supposed to. your kid breaks an arm, you take him to the er and the insurance company pays just as the brochure said it would. they don't see companies weaseling out of coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Has Harry grown a pair? Is it too late?

I agree with Mudwall. I managed a government agency for several years. The employees were upset that they were not getting pay raises. What we could never get across was their total compensation was increasing faster than inflation but it was all going to their health insurance.

Won't all of the insurance companies be making announcements like that at this time of year? If they do, and if the announcements have the same themes, then the timing of the Senate debate could hardly be more favorable for passage.

Compared to that $100M for one CEO for one year, the uncertainties in the Health Care proposals look like small details.

2004 rate developed fuels

Aetna, I sorry I metya. If anything might convince some of these senators to get in line, it would be something like this. Unfortunately, nothing will convince too many of them. Remember, and vote your memory.

"This health care company [...] -- Harry Reid, talking about Aetna

*Health care* company??? Since when??? The only "doctoring" they do is on their books and the only "surgeries" are on your wallet. I do wish our elite Senators were a tad more careful with language.

Nationalize the health care insurance industry.

I'm going to vote for my neighbor's dog in 2012. If this bitch wins I'll have a friend in Washington.

Shovel ready projects for grave diggers.

Nothing surprising here. Corporations have all the rights of people, don't you know? Our illustrious senators must attend to their needs. The surprising part is the fine people of CT re-elected Joe the hypocritical gasbag. Like the re-election of the-worst-president-ever, it shows our electorate lacks discrimination. We deserve the plutocracy in which we live.

Most Americans are happy with their health insurance because they haven't tried to use it.

"How much can you step on the face of Americans
in the name of capitalism before they will revolt?
I can answer it now: Until one's feet get tired. Americans faces are up to the challenge.
Unfortunately now I have a new rhetorical question: Is this what makes America so great?"

I think you need to understand Aetna IS America. America is the big corporations and CEO's and politicians and defense contractors.

@Objective Dem-Retired fed myself and my net has decreased the past 3 years through premium increases with BC/BS. I'm down about $1800 per year the last 3 years with cost of living increases. Wrote to my rep with the details and never heard back from the republican bitch.

your elected politicians do not care about your needs unless you have $. Long live the Plutocracy!

In addition to the usual witty repartee typical of Beltway cocktail parties, nowadays an oft repeated toast to the American people is being heard: "Marie Antoinette was a bleeding heart... Let them eat shit!" (followed as always by much laughter and the tinkling of glasses).

Actions such as Aetna's will continue until and unless the 600,000 to be dropped as well as others take to the streets and make a serious issue of this.

Dave, you have my sympathy, also have you read the article on BC/BS dirty dealings, it is on 'Think Progress' today, these people should be run out of the country. I hope progressives can go to Washington and demonstrate, I would but alas I am getting pretty old, if I were younger I would be there.

You're missing the point: Aetna KNOWS already that they've won and are impervious to any kind of backlash because Lieberman will protect them.

Call Aetna right now.

860-273-0888

Why is Reid picking on the poor insurance companies?!?! It's FASCISM to criticize them for making a profit!

"Why is Reid picking on the poor insurance companies?!?! It's FASCISM to criticize them for making a profit!"

Will someone explain the technicalities of this absurdity?

You're missing the point: Aetna KNOWS already that they've won and are impervious to any kind of backlash because Lieberman will protect them.

No, I think it's a hostage situation. "Drop health care reform or we'll ruin the lives of 650,000 people and let you figure out how to get healthcare to them."

Aetna is one of the worst companies to deal with. It took me three years to get them to pay a claim because my doctor was on vacation and I saw another doctor in the same practice -- hell, I think it was the same exam room. But because that doctor wasn't my "primary care physician," they said they didn't have to pay.

"Malefactors of great wealth," as a great Republican president once called them . . .

Again! Mr and Ms politician (dem or Rep). Come up with a better health plan that covers you (and all other federal employees) and we the rest of America will be all for it....I can't believe the best this country has to offer is a bunch of wealthy, retarded, self-centered, idiots to represent us. That goes for both major parties. God are they ignorant.

There's your trigger for you. Are you happy now, Olympia? What exactly is free about the "free" market, anyway? Jonathan Swift would have a hard time satirizing the rich in this country. A bunch of cannibals, feasting on the misery of others.

The republiscum claim to be worried about the creation of death panels, but they are just busy protecting the Death And Suffering Panels we already have, otherwise known as the insurance companies. Health care is too important to leave to irresponsible, greedy, exploitative, for-profit companies: we need a civilized national health system.

The behavior by Aetna is an indicator of a particular pathology associated with publicly traded companies: i.e. your profit has to continue to grow, each and every quarter, regardless of other economic conditions, otherwise your stock price will go down. Growth is seen as "health" in a company. I call it a pathology, because companies will take actions for the short term that are irrational for their long-term benefit in order to prop up stock price.

I can't believe the best this country has to offer is a bunch of wealthy, retarded, self-centered, idiots to represent us. That goes for both major parties. God are they ignorant.

it is ignorant to believe that the bastards most people elect to represent them are ignorant. The malfeasance most of the elected politicians undertaken on behalf of themselves and their rich plutocratic brethren is by design. They go to Washington to take care of themselves and their ilk.

To Broken Arrow
You are 100% correct, if Aetna is not the trigger then I don't know what is, I have tried to email some of the reps to put this point to them but have had a hard time getting through to their websites I hope others are having more success.

It would be really too difficult for the senator to defend himself for the number of employees he removed.