There are a lot of people who do not have health insurance right now. Sometimes, it is because they cannot afford the high cost of the premiums. Or, it could be because the insurance company rejects a person’s application for health insurance. One would think that a CEO of a major insurance company would somehow be exempt from these problems. Interestingly enough, that isn’t necessarily the case.
Mark Bertolini is the head insurer of Aetna. He has also worked in executive positions at other insurance companies like Cigna, NYLCare Health Plans, and SelectCare. You might assume that a person who has had years of employment in such high positions at health insurance companies would have absolutely no problems getting approved for health insurance. However, it turns out that things just don’t work that way.
He says that if he tried to get an individual health insurance policy today, he would be turned down. In 2004, Mark Bertolini nearly died after breaking his neck in a very serious skiing accident. This left him with some injuries that are permanent. In 2007, he donated one of his kidneys to his son, who was extremely ill and in need of a kidney transplant. Obviously, this leaves Mark Bertolini with only one kidney today. Clearly, he made the right decision, based on the circumstances. Unfortunately, an insurance company that sells health insurance might not see things the way a rational person would.
These situations would be considered as pre-existing conditions by an insurance company. So, even though Mr. Bertolini is currently the CEO of an insurance company that offers health insurance, he would very likely be rejected by the insurance companies he would theoretically have gone to in the hopes of getting approved for individual health insurance.
In 2014, things are supposed to change. After that year, insurance companies won’t be allowed to reject people who apply for health insurance because of that person’s previous medical or health history. The year 2014 is also when the “individual mandate” kicks in, requiring everyone to purchase health insurance. When asked, Mark Bertolini said that he feels that this requirement is essential to making the Affordable Care Act work. To me, the opinions of someone like Mark Bertolini, whose employment experience has given him vast knowledge of how the insurance industry functions, are very interesting.
Image by Sean MacEntee on Flickr