Aetna refuses president's request

[pjohns]

Aetna--the nation's third-largest healthcare insurer, with 50.5 million policyholders--has now declined to reinstate those policies scheduled to be canceled soon. 

A bit from a Reuters article on the subject:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Aetna Inc has decided not to reinstate or extend individual health insurance plans that are being canceled with the advent of the U.S. Affordable Care Act because the time frame is too short.

Aetna is the largest insurer yet to announce a decision on how it would proceed across the United States after President Barack Obama said last month that insurers could extend these health plans under a temporary transitional policy.
 
Aetna's move means that some consumers, who are required to have health insurance in 2014 or pay a fine, will need to buy a new plan for 2014. Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini made the comments at an investor meeting on Thursday.

Here is a link to the full article:  Aetna will not reinstate individual insurance plans: CEO - Business - US business - Earnings | NBC News

[flowers]

What will the regime do to avoid the bad news that will surely occur come Jan 1 when hundreds of millions lose there insurance?

[Cincinnatus]

What will the regime do to avoid the bad news that will surely occur come Jan 1 when hundreds of millions lose there insurance?

Claim it's Bush's fault.

[pjohns]

What will the regime do to avoid the bad news that will surely occur come Jan 1 when hundreds of millions lose there insurance?

It is "strongly encourag[ing]" healthcare-insurance companies to deem individuals to be covered, even if they have not yet made their first payment.

This smacks of the intimidation tactics of some banana republic.

Whether or not such strongarming will work, remains to be seen.  But this recent example from Aetna suggests that it may not.