Corporate America is a tangled mess, and we are all aware of that. The origins of the bizarre methodology by which we make some folks rich and others less so also have a complex story to tell. Big companies are often associated with overpaid CEOs, and in our imaginations we see those people in expensive suits, driving expensive cars and parking them in expensive mansions on expensive real estate. The rest of us, however, get clothing from the discount bin, drive pre-owned clunkers, park them on the street (where they are often stolen altogether or at least deprived of their hubcaps) and plug air leaks in our homes with chewing gum.
Because the majority of us look upon the corporate ladder as a roadblock to attainable financial security, we tend to hold grudges against the people who are at the top already. We feel they don’t deserve to be there, and in some cases that may be true. After all, a loaf of bread still costs the same whether you have funds left over for butter or go home without and prepare plain toast.
The recent loss of a healthcare company head, therefore, was not met with much sympathy; in fact reports say that social media is not showing any sense of human grief, and the arrested suspect is looked upon as a pioneering vigilante. The unspoken hope is that the healthcare industry will learn from the incident and start caring more about the people whom they offer or deny medical treatment, to avoid further homicides.
Brian Thompson, the victim, is survived by a wife and two sons. His total 2023 compensation (note, this is not outright pay, but incentives to be realized over time, including retirement) was around ten million dollars, which is small considering he was responsible for a $562 billion company. He had been with the company for two decades and was pushing for “value-based” healthcare, which stresses doctors helping healthy people stay that way instead of needing to reverse the damage from poor health. A sensible approach to improving the quality of human life, if you ask me.
Big corporate salaries and incentives are negotiated with the same finesse as the school cafeteria lunchroom sandwich swap; I’ll see your PB&J and raise you a bag of Doritos and, okay, a share of my not off-brand soda. Companies pay big benefits for expertise and guaranteed financial gains, which the CEO must then struggle to obtain and retain. In the case of healthcare, every claim expense eats into that stability, and in some cases the funds may be wasted if the claimant doesn’t improve their health or keep to healthy habits. Picture the lung cancer patient still demanding the right to smoke for an example.
Some smart big money-earners don’t cling to their wealth and donate to charity or give large bonuses to the employees. Sure, they still have money left over for the good butter on their bread, but the folks who are keeping the CEO up to the standards set for them by the hiring board are sharing in the advantages, and they can also afford splurging occasionally. Not all companies are like that, but it doesn’t help to look upon some services like healthcare as the enemy, nor to not feel something for a CEO taken out unexpectedly by an assassin.
Changes can be made, but they also start with our attitudes toward big companies and our part in what they do. We each bring something to the total picture, even to our own healthcare. Who are we to say removing an executive in this way is the solution, when there are alternatives even the victim had in mind?
We should all be ashamed of ourselves for not caring, for him or ourselves, and expecting others to do the hard work for us. What are you bringing to your workplace, and what is it truly worth?
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