The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act told people they could recapture their COBRA benefits and for nine months the Federal Government would help them pay 65% of their premium. That is a new precedent for COBRA. In other words, even though Aetna has kicked people of the rolls of the insured, those people should be able to reapply for the same insurance once the legislation goes through for reform of this industry.
The insurance companies like Aetna are purging their rolls now because once the reform bill goes through they won't be able to do it later. It has a lot to do with profits, but, mostly as a punishment to America for even conceiving of reform. Aetna's CEO likes the bonuses that come with the job and believes he is doing the best he can to insure those bonuses by purging their membership of individuals that won't enhance their bottom line AFTER the legislation is passed.
President Obama made new precedent when he modified the COBRA laws when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed and people could 'go back' their health care of choice.
COBRA is strong law, but, President Obama made it stronger.
What has to occur with the passing of the Reform Legislation is to apply this new statue in that people having been expunged from Health Care Insurance Companies membership, should have the right to 'go back' and re-enroll if their loss occurred during the legislative period starting with the campaign of President Obama.
It was at that point when President Obama was a candidate that the nation started to talk seriously about reform and more than likely the insurance companies started to purge their memberships that diminish their profits.
See, it would be easy to do this if they were in small numbers. Aetna is purging their membership in large numbers so it was a stark reality to the people of the USA. But, each company across the country needs to be evaluated from the beginning of the Obama campaign ( AND Hillary Clinton's announcement as well. She as First Lady was organizing reform and it was part of her agenda for change in the USA as well.) as to their rate hikes and their epunging of members. Some health care insurers may have been far more covert than this and it needs to be realized the damage that was artificially created to insure their 'green bottom line' in the future.
I still believe to add enforcement to the laws of the reform legislation there has to be a 'trigger to Single Payer' to prevent the health care insurance folks from causing havoc and hardship in ruthless methodologies, in whatever form they take.
It is too late to turn back. If Aetna and those like Aetna thinks they can brutalize Americans to stop reform they have another thing coming. This is a democracy and we won't put up with abusive practices of private industry.
EVER !
We aren't going to allow 'the tail to wag the dog' anymore. Absolutely not !
