Don't monetize health care

To the editor:

Thanks are order to PSC-CUNY President James Davis and the other union leaders who voted no or abstained from voting at the March 9th Medicare Advantage plan vote. Mr. Davis acknowledged voting "no" due to not having seen the complete details of the Aetna contract. Many wonder why the United Federation of Teachers and DC-37 guaranteed the successful passage of the "weighted vote" when union leaders were denied access to the full contract proposal. Who would sign a contract without viewing the paperwork?

The recent decision from CVS Health to appoint a new president of Aetna from a Wall Street background is troubling. This only serves to monetize and extract profits out of the health care system. The people approving life-or-death procedures should be focused on patients' health, not profitability and cost-cutting. It's understandable that many health insurance companies have faced federal lawsuits due to their focus on optimizing "profits above people.” When will physicians run health companies and displace hedge fund/Wall Street executives?

Retirees still have many questions that need to be answered from the MLC leadership. Luckily NYS retirees and fellow municipal retirees in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties need not worry of losing their traditional Medicare coverage. Why must New York City retirees?

Joseph Campbell