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Iowa's Head CEO of BCBS Comes Down with the Swine Flu, Treatment is Costing Iowa $2.5m

By Steve Lombardi

They keep telling us in the news that health care is in trouble and we all need to tighten our belts. Employers are paying more for less coverage and individuals go without health insurance due in part to higher costs of being outside a group plan. The tort reformers relentlessly attack the civil justice system in an attempt to shift costs of medical mistakes to the patients.

In response most everyone in these trying economic times does without and accepts lower pay so that other's aren't being laid off. This belt tightening isn't for everyone though. The CEO of Iowa's Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has been increasing his pay at the rate of having it doubled in the past five years and now is set at $2.5 million for 2008.

What's going on here? How gullible can the general public be? Or should I say stupid. What is really needed, tort reform or pork reform? The medical service community is asking their patients who are injured by medical mistakes to shoulder the future costs to care for themselves and the head of Iowa's BCBS walks away with a big fat paycheck. Is this fair? Is this the best America can do? Is this the kind of tort reforms the tort reformers intend? You bet it is that's why you don't hear the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Tort Reform Association condemning the head of BCBS for driving up the costs of health care with his big fat paycheck. Here is all the evidence the ATRA and the Chamber need to talk about Pork Reforms but you'll not hear a peep out of them criticizing any of these CEO's.

HEALTH CARE SERVICE CORP.: 12.4 million members 2007 CEO compensation: $10.3 million
HIGHMARK INC.: 4.6 million members 2007 CEO compensation: $3.7 million
WELLMARK INC.: 2.1 million members 2007 CEO compensation: $2.1 million
PREMERA BLUE CROSS: 1.7 million members 2007 CEO compensation: $2 million
CAREFIRST INC.: 3.4 million members 2007 CEO compensation: $1.5 million
THE REGENCE GROUP: 3 million members 2007 CEO compensation: $787,000

No wonder they call it the swine flu. When asked for comment the CEO's were heard to say, 'Oink-oink!'.

The second-place company in Iowa's health insurance market is United HealthCare, the nation's largest health insurer. The Minnesota-based company has just 8 percent of the Iowa health insurance market, but has 70 million customers nationally. Its leader made $9.5 million last year, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In third place in Iowa is Humana, which has 6 percent of the state's health insurance market and 10.6 million customers nationally. Its chief executive officer made $5.2 million last year, according to the Associated Press.

Principal Life Insurance Co., based in Des Moines, has 3 percent of the Iowa health insurance market. Its top executive, Larry Zimpleman, was paid $4.8 million last year.

Crisis or crap you be the judge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3ooR8aU_Ww

Whose to blame? Who is controlling the health care corporation? Who is paying the freight? Did you fly a jet to your minimum wage job today?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdoCeUwvqV8

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on June 22, 2009 (boomark / email).