If you’re a Rockland County retiree, you’re probably going to love this bit of news this Valentine’s Day. Rockland County will not be changing your health plans. The about-face follows the stunning admission by a former Aetna medical director that he never reviewed patient records before denying or approving health coverage. CNN reported the former healthcare company executive made the admission under oath while testifying in a case that was brought against Aetna for improper denial of coverage. Rockland County Executive Ed Day held a press conference yesterday afternoon to announce that the controversial move to Aetna from the United Healthcare Empire Plan is on hold for the foreseeable future…
Audio: Ed Day
But some Legislators said putting the plan on hold doesn’t go far enough. Toney Earl said there are still many questions and said the legislature will review the entire process. The Aetna plan, which was supposed to kick-in on April first, was delayed while the County Legislature, which, along with many seniors who were caught by surprise by the sudden change, wanted to take a closer look at the plan before it could be adopted. Day said the new Aetna plan would have saved taxpayers money while providing the same services.
