A few days ago I posted some rather dire stats about the economic realities of life in the United States today, as recently reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. It was entitled What impoverished country is this? [http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-impoverished-country-is-this.html], and it attracted more readers than anything I've written to date. One of the saddest -- and most inexcusable -- stats in that posting is that 50 million Americans are too poor to buy health insurance.
For the most part I don't blame physicians and other medical professionals for the disastrous mess in the U.S. health care delivery system. Yes, most doctors are still doing pretty well, and they earn quite a satisfactory living compared to the rest of us. But they have decades invested in costly medical school education and post-graduate training. Like other professionals, they must continue studying and learning throughout their lives. The process never ends. And I've talked to plenty of doctors who've told me horrid details about the paperwork hoops and Catch 22s they have to jump through in order to get paid by U.S. health insurance companies. Of course, their fees are always greatly discounted.
Medical insurers and hospitals are far and away the biggest culprits, in my opinion. Have you ever been billed $25, for instance, for a Band-Aid, or perhaps for some skin lotion that an RN-trainee rubbed on your itchy back? Today the U.S. McClatchy news service has a must-read article about the absurd compensation packages enjoyed by many hospital CEOs. Key excerpts:
"Most CEOs at the largest and richest children's hospitals are paid more than $1 million in salary and benefits annually, an analysis of hospital tax records shows. Including retirement payouts and bonuses, three executives of children's hospitals collected $5 million or more in 2009, the most recent year for which compensation figures were available. Three others received $2 million. In all, 22 of 25 CEOs collected at least $1 million. Hospital CEOS, including those at children's hospitals, are among the most lavishly compensated executives in the nonprofit field."
Did you notice those last four words -- in the nonprofit field? Remember, these execs never spent one day in med school. If they're lucky they might have a business degree. But they "networked" with the right people. Every time you go to the hospital, you or your insurance carrier (if you have insurance) picks up part of the tab for their salaries.
If you think those numbers are high, investigate what U.S. health insurance company CEOs earn. And of course, all these CEOs enjoy the finest health insurance available to protect themselves and their families -- gratis, as part of their compensation packages.
Read the McClatchy article for more details: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/09/25/124653/a-glimpse-at-the-high-pay-for.html
No comments:
Post a Comment