ANALYSIS: TRUE. Crony Capitalism is a Feature (Not a Bug) of Obamacare.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study estimates that 664 counties will only feature one single insurer on Obamacare exchanges in 2017. In 2016, it was 225. Four entire states will have only one Obamacare insurer. In one Arizona county, there may be none. Since Obamacare, in effect, solidified in-state insurance cartels, the exchanges are starting to look very much the same. But opening markets up across state (and national) lines is a silly idea, I bet.
At first, Aetna denied that its move was connected to the Justice Department’s merger decision. Even in the most generous reading, this turns out not to be exactly true. At The Huffington Post, Jonathan Cohn and Jeffery Young have gotten their hands on a letter from Aetna’s CEO that critics seem to believe catches Aetna threatening the administration.
The correspondence has gotten Democrats very agitated, even though their policies are creating the problem.
“Free markets” will take the blame for ObamaCare’s failures, because the only Progressive cure for crony capitalism is fatter cronies.