Released: September 23, 2008

Aetna to let outside doctors decide

Source: L.A. Times

Aetna Inc., the third-largest U.S. health insurer, will let outside doctors decide whether to cancel coverage for sick customers suspected of obtaining policies through false or incomplete information.

The Hartford, Conn., company will give three-member physician panels the final say on rescinding individual and family policies starting today.

Aetna is the first of more than 1,300 insurers to set up binding outside reviews in every state where they do business, said California Insurance Department spokesman Darrel Ng. The cancellation of policies after people developed costly illnesses such as cancer and heart disease became a national issue in 2006 because of incidents in California.

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