HARTFORD, Conn., October 26 – Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has announced that he will look into the sale of limited health insurance policies by Aetna as a result of a lawsuit filed by the Citizens for Economic Opportunity, which describes itself as a statewide coalition of labor unions, community, faith-based, and citizen action groups working for corporate responsibility and health care.

As reported by the Associated Press, Phil Wheeler, president of Citizens for Economic Opportunity, said the plans mislead workers into believing they have adequate coverage when they may receive only $1,000 in annual maximum benefits. His group filed the lawsuit against Aetna; its subsidy, Strategic Resources; and the state Insurance Department.

The AP story quotes Aetna spokeswoman Cynthia Michener, in responding to the lawsuit, as stating that the plans are designed for part-time and seasonal workers who do not have any other access to health insurance. The plans, she added, are designed to give people some coverage where they would normally have no coverage at all.

Blumenthal issued a statement after receiving questions about the lawsuit. His statement reads, My office will investigate whether these health insurance policies harm consumers and undermine state-mandated coverage requirements. I am very concerned that these policies dilute or circumvent minimum coverage standards, which I have strongly advocated. These policies may well give employees a false sense of security, allegedly capping coverage at as little as $1,000, less than the cost of an overnight hospital stay. I will review whether these policies provide a flimsy fiction of coverage instead of a secure safety net.

I am strongly concerned as well with how and why the Insurance Department approved these policies.

The department told the AP that, as part of its approval of the policies, Aetna is required to clearly disclose in each policy that the consumer is not purchasing comprehensive medical coverage.