Aetna CEO: Obamacare 'cannot be repealed, period'

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Congress needs to move on from repealing the Affordable Care Act, says Aetna (AET) CEO Mark Bertolini.

"The ACA cannot be repealed, period, end of sentence," Bertolini told CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Thursday.

"What we should do is fix it. So either everyone gets their heads together over in the Senate and the House and does the job that the American people needs them to do, and fix what we already have, or they should move on to something else," he said.

"It's really easy to fix this if they would just get over the politics of who is going to win the '18 election."

For Aetna to rejoin the Obamacare markets, Bertolini says, the system needs to become more stabilized.

"Any business that has the kind of changes this program has seen quarter over quarter, sometimes monthly, would not be able to sustain their business practices for any period of time," Bertolini said. "So when they get it right — which, it can be fixed, it very much can be fixed — and it's stable, we'll reconsider participation."

-snip-

Link to tweet

However, Bertolini challenged what Trump called "bailouts."

"They aren't bailouts," Bertolini said. "We don't keep that money. It goes directly to providers and directly to pay for premiums for members, so I think it's misinformed."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/aetna-ceo-obamacare-cannot-be-repealed-period/ar-AApnBsu?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp

[C_U_L8R]

1. Trump is the de-stabilizer

The solution is right there.

[stevenleser]

2. He is right, but I have a feeling the source will be ad-hominemed by some. nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. I considered that before I posted the article

Just have to remember you can't please everyone.

[DoodAbides]

3. This is very good to hear. I felt that this would be the position of the insurance companies.

It was good to listen to Aetna CEO make this statement.

[SHRED]

4. They need to list what would improve it

All commentators should.

CSR's, risk corridor funding, etc.

[brush]

6. That does it. It will be fixed now that the repugs corporate clients want it fixed.

Ryan will wake up from his life-long wet dream to repeal and replace Obamacare and suddenly, magically want to fix it, all because the insurance industry told him to.

Same with McConnell. They'll tell trump, maybe not in words but in action, to go fuck off.

[Caliman73]

7. He sees the writing on the wall. He is right, but it certainly isn't altruism.

I am glad that he is speaking up, but it is about the interests of Aetna and other insurers that is motivating this. He knows that if the ACA is weakend any further or repealed, that it will drive the economy into chaos. He also knows that there is a groundswell of people who are looking into public financing of health care with either the single payer model or vastly expanded public options that will put many insurers out of business.

Shoring up the ACA will give the market stability and additional time for them to begin shifting their business models to a time when public financing becomes a more certain reality.

[Scurrilous]

8. K&R

[displacedtexan]

9. May 10, 2017 "Aetna To Obamacare: We're Outta Here!"

Don't trust this guy. He helped Trump destabilize the ACA by pulling out of the exchanges. Now, he wants them back???

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/10/news/economy/aetna-obamacare/index.html