We started discussing the disconnect between Dr McGuire's corpulent pay and his company's failure to uphold its stated ideals back in 2005, when he was reported to have received more than $124 million to lead a company which championed "affordable" health care. Later, it turned out that much of Dr McGuire's compensation came in the form of back-dated stock-options, and the resulting scandal was followed by his resignation. Later, Dr McGuire was forced to give back some the options. The final settlement of the fiasco cost UnitedHealth $895 million, and Dr McGuire $30 million and the cancellation of 3.6 million stock options.
Meanwhile, UnitedHealth was compiling an unenviable record of ethical lapses:
- as reported by the Hartford Courant, "UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer, will refund $50 million to small businesses that New York state officials said were overcharged in 2006."
- UnitedHalth promised its investors it would continue to raise premiums, even if that priced increasing numbers of people out of its policies (see post here);
- UnitedHealth's acquisition of Pacificare in California allegedly lead to a "meltdown" of its claims paying mechanisms (see post here);
- UnitedHealth's acquisition of Sierra Health Services allegedly gave it a monopoly in Utah, while the company allegedly was transferring much of its revenue out of the state of Rhode Island, rather than using it to pay claims (see post here)
- UnitedHealth frequently violated Nebraska insurance laws (see post here);
- UnitedHealth settled charges that its Ingenix subsidiaries manipulation of data lead to underpaying patients who received out-of-network care (see post here).
Our mission is to help people live healthier lives.
* We seek to enhance the performance of the health system and improve the overall health and well-being of the people we serve and their communities.
* We work with health care professionals and other key partners to expand access to quality health care so people get the care they need at an affordable price.
* We support the physician/patient relationship and empower people with the information, guidance and tools they need to make personal health choices and decisions.
Dr McGuire certainly expanded his access to money, which doubtless empowered him.
And as we noted here, his successor, Mr Stephen J Helmsley, seems to be going down the same path. In 2009 his total compensation was $8.9 million, and he sold stock options obtained from previous compensation packages for $98.6 million. Mr Helmsley was a top leader (President and Chief Operating Officer [COO]) of UnitedHealth during Dr McGuire's reign as CEO, so should be viewed as having some responsibility for the excesses of the McGuire years.
Despite recent attempts to reform health care, or at least health insurance, it seems that the health insurance industry still leads the way in providing its leaders perverse incentives while failing to hold them accountable for their organizations' unethical behavior and subversion of their stated missions. Is it any wonder that these organizations continue to act unethically, and that the costs of the goods and services they provide rise continuously?
If we truly want health care that is accessible, of high quality, at a fair price, and more importantly, if we want health care that is honest and focused on patients, we need to provide health care leaders with clear, rational incentives in these directions, and make them fully accountable for their actions, and the courses of their organizations under their leadership.
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