HARTFORD – As part of its year-long downsizing in Connecticut, CVS Health Dec. 20 announced it will lay off an additional 164 employees, all of whom are remote. That brings the total of layoffs to more than 560, all located in Hartford.
“Due to an unexpected loss of contract in Kansas which will impact remote employees who report to the Facility (151 Farmington Ave. in Hartford), as well as the decision to implement further reductions in staff…we write to supplement the Company’s prior notices to the Rapid Response Coordinator and Mayor of the City of Hartford,” a letter written by the company stated.
These layoffs will take place from Feb. 15, 2025-Feb. 28, 2025. An earlier statement from CVS Health, which operates insurer Aetna, said an earlier wave of terminations will happen Jan. 25, 2025-Feb. 7, 2025.
State Sen. Tony Hwang of Fairfield, ranking lawmaker on the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, hit Aetna’s parent company for continuing to back off its promise to keep jobs in Connecticut.
“This steady drip, drip, drip of significant CT insurance job losses continues to be troubling. In order to get its takeover of Aetna approved in 2018, CVS promised to maintain 5,291 jobs at Aetna for at least four years,” Hwang said. “These days, we see repeated layoff announcements. CT state government officials must continue to be persistent in demanding transparency.”
A federal bill that would force companies owning health insurers or pharmacy benefit managers, such as Aetna and CVS Health, to divest their businesses operating pharmacies within three years was left out of the latest funding legislation that was signed by President Joe Biden.
That bill was sponsored by U.S. Sens Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and Josh Hawley, a Republican.
Of the 164 positions being terminated, 34 case management analysts and 38 senior analysts of community lead generators.
CVS has 19 stores in Fairfield County and 31 in Westchester County.
