UPDATED Business Week is reporting that David also had a home security system installed at a cost of, wait for it:
Cigna also paid more than $48,000 for the installation and operation of a home security system for Cordani.
When your health care "non-system" is led by individuals so scared of the masses that they need a security system costing more than the average American makes in a year, you know you have an immoral, for-profit health care "non-system" predicated on greed -- NOT serving patients.
Sit down -- no, seriously, please -- sit down.
CIGNA health insurance's CEO David M. Cordiani "earned" $9.77 million last year according to the Hartford Courant.
Oh, and guess what, that's not all.
He also "earned" $6.66 million in stock and option "awards" last year.
Is David the devil? Well, probably not, but he's one heck of a lucky guy to be able to steal all that money from American patients held captive by the for-profit health "non-system."
Why did I put "earned" in quotes? Nobody, in my opinion, can "earn" that much money. One only "earns" that much money if they are lucky enough to benefit from a series of events that places them in a position capable of delivering such a salary. In the case of David, he -- and I don't feel this is being hyperbolic -- stole those millions from vulnerable middle-class Americans by extorting them for health insurance protection. More below the fold.
Of course, not everyone in America is as lucky as 666-David. Last year, according to the Huffington Post, 9 million Americans lost their employer-provided health insurance.
During the last two years, 57 percent of Americans who lost a job that provided them health insurance -- nearly 9 million people -- could not afford to regain coverage, according to a new study published by the Commonwealth Fund, a longtime advocate of health care reform.
In addition, 19 million Americans who tried to buy a health plan in the individual insurance market between 2007 and 2010 were either rejected due to a prior health condition or unable to find affordable coverage that fit their needs, according to the Commonwealth Fund report.
"This means that already stretched family budgets are vulnerable to catastrophic losses and bankruptcy in the event of a serious accident or illness, and that families face significant financial barriers when trying to obtain needed medical care and timely preventive services," the report's authors wrote.
I wonder how these folks feel about the CEO of an insurance company that spends millions defending the lucrative -- but immoral and cruel -- for-profit, employer-based health care "non-system" taking home $6.66 million in stock options in addition to another $9.77 million of salary. Probably not too swell.
Don't you dare tell me that this bloodsucker's salary does not contribute to the high cost of health insurance and health care in America. It does indeed.
Does CIGNA really need to pay its CEO this amount of money to attract the "talent" -- as they like to say -- necessary to run an unnecessary paper-shuffling business?
Remember: the individuals in charge of Medicare and Medicaid -- collectively covering many tens of millions more Americans than CIGNA -- all make less than $300,000/year. That's barely a starting salary for the CIGNA executive team.
So, what can we do other than get angry...or cry?
First, read CIGNA whistleblower Wendell Potter's excellent book, Deadly Spin, for an excellent education on just how ridiculous CIGNA's profits are in an America where thousands die annually from lack of access to health insurance.
Second, contact CIGNA and let them know just how insane you feel their executive compensation policy is when most of their policyholders can barely afford to pay for health care as a result of their mini-med plans and high-deductible ("consumer-directed") crapsurance.
Third, fight hard for programs like single-payer California One Care, Vermont's single-payer Green Mountain Care and Connecticut's SustiNet public option.
David's (I don't respect him enough to call him by his last name or offer him the title of CEO) compensation is an absolute outrage -- we must reform the American health care system into one that puts patients before profits. And health care access before David's unearned accumulation of wealth.
Oh, and David, we have not forgotten the evil that you represent:
Enjoy your stolen millions -- single payer is coming, and it's coming soon.