Ed Schultz of The Ed Show interviews Robert Greenwald about an investigative report on the CEO of United Health Care Group. Turns out the guy is making about $102,000 per hour. At one point a few years ago his salary alone accounted for $1 in every $700 spent on healthcare in America.
The fact is, in this country we have always recognized that some things are not best left to the marketplace. How would you like it if the Fire Department showed up, but before they would start spraying water they needed you to show you insurance card and fill out some forms…oh, and did you get pre-approved to have that kitchen fire?
People are complaining about “government bureaucrats standing between them and their doctors. Medicaid recipients consistently give the program very high satisfaction ratings, and it operates on much lower overhead than any private insurance company. It is time that the lower and middle income people being duped by these bogus “grass roots” organizations (setup and funded by the insurance companies) realized that their anger is directed in exactly the wrong direction.
No one does well when their healthcare is run by insurance company bureaucrats and high-flying executives motivated only by profit. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that our personal health is not something best taken care of by “for profit” insurance companies. They don’t make money paying to get you healthy. It’s really just that simple.
UPDATE: 2010-06-29; 16:07:05: According the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, United HealthGroup’s CEO, Stephen Hemsley, received $101,959,866 in total compensation in 2009. I have to ask, really, who is worth that much.
