The CEO of Aetna has spoken out against Donald Trump’s ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries. Mark Bertolini explained to Bloomberg that he’s the grandson of immigrants.
"Were it not for my grandfather and grandmother coming here, I would never have been in this kind of opportunity, and lived the American dream," Bertolini said. "So we don't agree with the current program, we believe we should find a program that welcomes everyone to this country, and keeps our country safe, and we look forward to working with the administration to make that happen."
Meanwhile, Bertolini also said Aetna will remain in some state exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. The Hartford-based insurer is currently offering plans in four states, and says it expects to continue in those in 2018. He said he doesn’t expect changes under any repeal of the Affordable Care Act until 2019.
"It's easy to repeal, but the replace has got to be very thoughtfully considered," Bertolini said. "You have to figure out the policy, the legislation, and then the regulation. And we need to be part of that -- we're having conversations with administration and with Congress on how to do that."
On the subject of Aetna’s stalled merger with Humana, which has been blocked by a court ruling, Bertolini said he has until February 15 to make a final decision on whether to appeal the ruling or abandon the deal.
