Today, President Barack Obama signed health care reform legislation passed by the Senate in December and the House on Sunday. As a result, millions of Americans can look forward to gaining access to health insurance, a significant milestone for this country. The challenge unmet by this bill, however, is how to effectively deal with the critical issue of affordability, which has become a burden for so many people, particularly individuals and small business owners. Coming soon: Aetna’s early analysis of key legislative milestones and a 10-year timeline with the major provisions that will be implemented by 2020. We are aggressively working to weigh the impact of this legislation on our various businesses, customers, and members. In the meantime, the Senate is still wrestling with a “reconciliation” bill that contains “fixes” to the legislation signed by the President today.

It is important to remember that most of the legislation will not go into effect until 2014 or later. The details of implementing legislation can take months, even years to work through the regulatory process. Much of what Congress has passed will require additional regulations that will bring further clarity to this new law, and those regulations will truly shape the impact on consumers and employers. We will continue to play an active role in the detailed discussions during the lengthy implementation process.

Given what we know about the mandates and taxes included in the legislation, we do anticipate the likelihood of additional new costs. We intend to focus our efforts in the rulemaking process to lessen the financial impact of these changes on our customers and members.

Aetna plays a significant role in helping both employers and individuals meet the cost challenge. Our role won’t change with this legislation. But, as a nation, we need to come together to bring greater focus on addressing the many underlying factors that are driving soaring health care costs. When the nation inevitably turns to finding ways of reducing this alarming trend, we stand ready to help. We will continue to keep you updated as this process moves forward.

Sincerely,
Your Aetna Sales Representative