Less than a week before Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveils his state budget, Aetna's chief executive officer is saying that costs have risen so high in Connecticut that they are almost as high as hiring an employee in New York City.
The Hartford Courant's insurance blog reports below that the CEO, Mark Bertolini, made his remarks during a chamber of commerce breakfast Friday. The report is as follows:
"We've done the analysis, and, quite frankly, Connecticut falls very, very low on the list as an environment to locate employees . . . in large part because of the tax structure, the cost of living, which is now approaching, all in, the cost of locating an employee in New York City," he said.
Bertolini said whether his company adds jobs here will depend partly on how the state resolves its budget issues. The state is facing a $3.7 billion deficit in the fiscal year that starts July 1. Bertolini said he spoke with Malloy and has offered Malloy his support in working with state government to make sure the company can grow in Connecticut.
"This is our home state," Bertolini said. "We've been here 158 years, and, as I mentioned before, we want to be here for another 158, at least."