Either they are stupid, or they know that Congress truly is in their pocket.

Aetna is merely stating the obvious. It is motivated fundamentally by the profit motive, and when they refer to the returns they have typically delivered to shareholders, they mean ROE's well in excess of 10%.

This is what is required by the stock market. If you want your health care costs to be dictated by the stock market, and the rewards derived therefrom by executives who grant themselves generous stock options, then you stay with the system we have now.

It you want to get rid of these costs, or if you think they serve no useful social function, or if you are tired of millions of people being denied basic health care, you dump this system and replace it with a public health care plan.

They have made anything less open to creeping (if not outright) corruption.

We have to keep dropping customers, and increasing rates on the remainder, to maintain our profitability.

I interpret this announcement to indicate the Health Insurance companies are stating the current system in unsustainable.

Suits the current evolution of the US system as it forces all but a few to become economic serfs.

So, they jack up the rates and rake in more dough and a higher profit. 600,000 cannot afford the new rates and where do they go? They go to the ER for healthcare which is funded by all of us. So the taxpayer is indirectly supporting the profit "needs" of corporate Duhmerika. Heads they win, tails we lose.

Hey my company's United Health Care costs will rise 33% for 2010 after rising 20% in 2009. They can't lose. If weak public option passes we are stuck with them - if all health care fails, double ditto.