Memo: Aetna Pulled Back From Obamacare Because DOJ Opposed Merger With Humana

Did Aetna pull back from the Obamacare market because they were losing money? Or was it payback for the Obama administration’s refusal to approve their merger with Humana? Well, they were losing money. But in a letter to the Department of Justice last month, they made a pretty explicit threat: they would have “no choice” but to cut back their Obamacare participation if they were unable to take advantage of the “synergies” of the merger:

This comes from Jonathan Cohn, who obtained a copy of the letter. Full details here.