Kirkpatrick slams Aetna’s apparent retaliation over merger rejection

FLAGSTAFF – U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick gave the following statement today in response to news reports about the reasons behind insurance giant Aetna’s announcement that it will no longer participate in Arizona’s health insurance marketplace:

“After Aetna’s announcement Tuesday, I called the decision ‘heartless,’ but it turns out I should have also called it ‘vindictive.’ News outlets, including NPR, MSNBC and the Huffington Post, have obtained a July 5 letter in which Aetna’s CEO essentially threatened to exit the health insurance exchanges if the Justice Department didn’t approve Aetna’s merger with Humana. This is the same CEO who in April said the ACA exchanges were ‘a good investment’ and the company was ‘committed to working constructively with the administration and lawmakers … on creating a sustainable program.’

“In late July, however, the Justice Department opposed the merger, and now Aetna appears to be retaliating. Caught in the middle are hard-working families in Arizona and across the country. Their access to quality, affordable healthcare is being treated like a pawn in a high-stakes chess game. It’s infuriating and it’s wrong.

“All of this is predictable political fodder during a campaign year, but my focus is on action. We need to ensure Pinal County residents have health insurance options on the federal exchange for 2017. I’ve already been pushing for HHS toimprove competition in rural counties and for state officials to apply for federal grants that would strengthen Arizona’s marketplace. We need to be working together at every level to find solutions.”

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