MichaelMoore.com

Group Protests Outside Aetna

By Janice Podsada / Hartford Courant

About 30 supporters of health care reform gathered for a second time this year outside Aetna's headquarters on Thursday, timed to the release of the company's second-quarter earnings.

The group is a coalition of social justice organizations that supports a publicly supported health care system and believes the pay given to insurance executives is too high. It made its first appearance in April as Aetna announced its first-quarter earnings.

This time, the organizers said they would deliver a letter to Ronald A. Williams, the company's chairman and chief executive, that outlined their position on health care reform and include a gift certificate for two tickets to see "Sicko," a documentary by Michael Moore that's critical of the health insurance industry.

"Aetna's enormous profits and huge executive pay packages are at odds with any real comprehensive health care reform," said Joe Dinkin, a spokesman for Connecticut Working Families, a labor and community coalition.

Williams said Thursday: "I do believe that debate is good. I think we would agree that there needs to be opportunities to make certain that people are getting access to the health care services that they need.

"We have been an advocate for transforming the system long before it was a topic of discussion on the evening news. "Beverley Brakeman, the director of Citizens for Economic Opportunity, said the coalition is considering instituting the quarterly earnings protests on a regular basis - "until we don't have to have them anymore," she said.

Courant Staff Writer Diane Levick contributed to this story.