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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Aetna cuts 60 workers in Blue Bell today, 1,350 in U.S. by March

Aetna Inc. is cutting 60 workers at its Blue Bell office, part of layoffs totaling 625 U.S. workers today, spokesman Fred Laberge told me. Cuts are "across the board" in different departments, he said. The big health insurer plans to cut another 625 in early 2010, including an unknown number in Pa.

Aetna employs around 4,800 in Blue Bell at the former US Healthcare headquarters, and at other sites in Pennsylvania; 7,600 at its Hartford-area headquarters in Connecticut; and a total of 35,500 nationwide.

The cuts follow 530 buyouts at Independence Blue Cross and its affiliates in Philadelphia. IBC says the departures were voluntary, but workers have told me some didn't want to go.

Tough times for private health insurers. Reuters says they're among the losers if the Senate version of health care reform gets passed as written. Others who'll lose include drug distributors like AmerisourceBergen, based in Chesterbrook, which will have to disclose client discounts. Winners include drugmakers and hospitals, mostly because they're not being forced to give up as much as it looked like earlier, plus they'll gain new customers.
Posted by Joseph N. DiStefano @ 10:11 AM  Permalink | 6 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:21 AM, 11/19/2009
    Obamacare = more job losses. Change you can believe in!
    — The_Unknown-Poster
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:09 PM, 11/19/2009
    Yes, Mr. Hope n' Change, is turning this country into a debt-ridden, job-losing bananna republic!!!
    — Mike S.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:51 PM, 11/19/2009
    Sorry, but the debt came under Bushie.
    — leftistqueen
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:28 PM, 01/15/2010
    IBC is just playing a PR game. Yes - on the face it looks like less lay offs but with today's announcement about capping salary increases for all employees - regardless of merit - at 1.5% (and paying that out in a flat one time payment) is just one of the many ways IBC is screwing the city and its employees.
    — phillyres08
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:28 PM, 01/15/2010
    IBC is just playing a PR game. Yes - on the face it looks like less lay offs but with today's announcement about capping salary increases for all employees - regardless of merit - at 1.5% (and paying that out in a flat one time payment) is just one of the many ways IBC is screwing the city and its employees.
    — phillyres08
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:19 PM, 03/08/2010
    Leftistqueen, you must of missed the civics lesson the day they were teaching American govt (protesting dust mite extinction or something like that). The congress allocates and determies all monies that are spent by the federal govt. Who has been in charge of the congress the last four years??
    — dreamkiller


6 comments
About Joseph N. DiStefano
Joseph N. DiStefano writes this blog to feed his PhillyDeals column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Joe has been a member of Bloomberg LP’s New York Finance Team, wrote the book “Comcasted,” taught writing at St. Joseph’s University, and studied economics and history at Penn. Reach Joe at 215-854-5194 and JoeD@phillynews.com
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