Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Workers Scheduled to Strike Next Week

[Ike Bana]

First of all, Kaiser is not-for-profit, so we can't blame this on the gouging of consumers as for profit corporations have been doing for decades. So what's the deal with this strike. The same deal it is with every healthcare organization in this country.

1. The insurance industry in the middle of it, has the cost of healthcare to Americans at twice what it is in most of the EU and Asia.

2. 40 Kaiser executives make over a million bucks a year...

$17,268,060: Gregory Adams, Chairman and CEO
$ 6,674,960: Richard Daniels, EVP, Chief Information Officer
$ 5,580,333: Janet Liang, Regional President, Northern CA
$ 5,086,656: Kathryn Lancaster, EVP and CFO
$ 4,886,355: Arthur Southam, EVP, Health Plan Operations
$ 4,643,773: Julie Miller-Phipps, Region President, Southern CA
$ 4,300,195: Kimberly Horn, EVP, Group President, MOC
$ 3,117,144: Mark Zealman, SVP, General Counsel and Secretary
$ 2,882,881: Anthony Barrueta, SVP, Government Relations
$ 2,557,223: Chuck Bevilacqua, SVP, Health Plan Service and Admin
$ 2,360,352: Wade Overgaard, SVP, Health Plan Ops – CA
$ 2,337,223: Michael Rowe, SVP, Chief Business Development and Strategy Executive
$ 2,009,791: George Disalvo, SVP, CFO Southern CA
$ 2,040,901: Christian Meisner, SVP, Chief HR Officer
$ 2,011,912: Arlene Peasnell, SVP, HR and Labor Relations
$ 1,929,722: Paul Swenson, EVP, Chief Admin Officer
$ 1,892,780: Thomas Meier, SVP, Corporate Treasurer
$ 1,755,834: Laurel Junk, SVP, Enterprise Shared Services
$ 1,748,080: Thomas Henenburg, Interim Regional President – NCA
$ 1,747,910: Roland Lyon, SVP, National Del System Strategy
$ 1,716,511: Jodie Lesh, SVP, Transformation Innovation
$ 1,650,000: Ronald Vance, Interim Regional President, HI
$ 1,639,981: Barbara Choucair, SVP, Chief Health Officer
$ 1,626,427: Chandrika Bhalla, SVP, CFO – NCAL
$ 1,588,985: Yazdı Bagli, EVP, Enterprise Business Services
$ 1,547,147: James Simpson, Region President, GA
$ 1,507,754: Toby Douglas, SVP, National Medicaid Programs
$ 1,485,826: William Caswell, SVP, Operations
$ 1,439,033: Vanessa Benavides, SVP, Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer
$ 1,407,902: Alfonse Upshaw, SVP, Corporate Controller, CAO
$ 1,396,349: Christine Robisch, SVP, Operations – Opt Strategy and Implementation
$ 1,394,044: Mick Diede, SVP, Chief Actuary
$ 1,374,496: Diane Comer, EVP, Chief Info and Tech Officer
$ 1,309,093: Thomas Curtin Jr, SVP, National Sales and Account Management
$ 1,304,370: Christine Paige, SVP, Marketing and Internet Services
$ 1,277,239: Greg Christian, Regional President – HI
$ 1,263,851: Donald Orndoff, SVP, NFS
$ 1,231,601: Patrick Courneya, EVP, Chief Medical Officer
$ 1,171,949: Amarylis Gutierrez, SVP, Chief Pharmacy Officer
$ 1,019,069: John Yamamoto, Assistant Secretary

Of course what we are told is that Kaiser has to pay this kind of money in order to be competitive in the market for Healthcare executives.

WTF???

[Oerets]

Little wonder why our insurance is so high.

[RickeyM]

Originally Posted by Oerets

Little wonder why our insurance is so high.

Gotta keep those shareholders (wink-wink) happy.

[Chicks]

Originally Posted by RickeyM

Gotta keep those shareholders (wink-wink) happy.

Kaiser is non-profit, so no shareholders. One of the many reasons I stick with them, besides their consistently being rated higher than just about any other healthcare system.

I guess I had my heart attack just in time; sextuple bypass surgery on July 1st; off all restrictions for lifting (they cut my sternum open) as of today. My total cost: $725, thanks to LBJ. Lots of pills to take daily too, $0 my cost.

Of course, Medicare dips into my SSA income monthly, and Kaiser takes $79/mo, and I've been paying into Medicare and private insurance for decades, but considering that the total cost for anyone uninsured would have been > $500K, a bargain.

BTW, Kaiser's costs are in good part due to the hugely expensive liability insurance that hospitals and doctors are required to carry.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by Chicks

Kaiser is non-profit, so no shareholders. One of the many reasons I stick with them, besides their consistently being rated higher than just about any other healthcare system.

I guess I had my heart attack just in time; sextuple bypass surgery on July 1st; off all restrictions for lifting (they cut my sternum open) as of today. My total cost: $725, thanks to LBJ. Lots of pills to take daily too, $0 my cost.

Of course, Medicare dips into my SSA income monthly, and Kaiser takes $79/mo, and I've been paying into Medicare and private insurance for decades, but considering that the total cost for anyone uninsured would have been > $500K, a bargain.

BTW, Kaiser's costs are in good part due to the hugely expensive liability insurance that hospitals and doctors are required to carry.

Sounds like a bargain. Optum dings me ~$130 per month for similar coverage. Good to hear you're on the mend after a major plumbing job, Chicks.

[Rajoo]

Originally Posted by Chicks

Kaiser is non-profit, so no shareholders. One of the many reasons I stick with them, besides their consistently being rated higher than just about any other healthcare system.

I guess I had my heart attack just in time; sextuple bypass surgery on July 1st; off all restrictions for lifting (they cut my sternum open) as of today. My total cost: $725, thanks to LBJ. Lots of pills to take daily too, $0 my cost.

Of course, Medicare dips into my SSA income monthly, and Kaiser takes $79/mo, and I've been paying into Medicare and private insurance for decades, but considering that the total cost for anyone uninsured would have been > $500K, a bargain.

BTW, Kaiser's costs are in good part due to the hugely expensive liability insurance that hospitals and doctors are required to carry.

We were with Kaiser from 1985 through end of 2021 when we moved to Reno. In my opinion, Kaiser is fantastic for major medical, not very good at routine healthcare mostly because of the number of patients they handle.

Chicks, great you are recovering well after your major surgery, good luck and good health.

[Chicks]

No more red meat and much less cheese for me. Can’t quite make it to 10 miles per day walking that I had been doing since retirement, but between walking and jogging I’m at 6 miles so far today, plus a 5-mile bike loop. I’ll be back in fighting shape by XMas. Funny thing is, my BMI has never been much over 23, but you are what you eat, and danger lurks without being remotely overweight. Just ask Jim Fixx.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by Chicks

Kaiser is non-profit, so no shareholders. One of the many reasons I stick with them, besides their consistently being rated higher than just about any other healthcare system.

I guess I had my heart attack just in time; sextuple bypass surgery on July 1st; off all restrictions for lifting (they cut my sternum open) as of today. My total cost: $725, thanks to LBJ. Lots of pills to take daily too, $0 my cost.

Of course, Medicare dips into my SSA income monthly, and Kaiser takes $79/mo, and I've been paying into Medicare and private insurance for decades, but considering that the total cost for anyone uninsured would have been > $500K, a bargain.

BTW, Kaiser's costs are in good part due to the hugely expensive liability insurance that hospitals and doctors are required to carry.

And again...how much of this would we be rid of with single payer government sponsored health care. Better outcomes at half the price than what we have now. I have a sort of half-brother (my half-sister's half-brother) who is a research scientist and university professor in Sweden. He's been living in the EU for 30 odd years now. We had several discussions about education, gun control, health care and other stuff during his visit here last year. His most powerful statement on health care in this country was..."you people are fucking nuts."

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

And again...how much of this would we be rid of with single payer government sponsored health care. Better outcomes at half the price than what we have now. I have a sort of half-brother (my half-sister's half-brother) who is a research scientist and university professor in Sweden. He's been living in the EU for 30 odd years now. We had several discussions about education, gun control, health care and other stuff during his visit here last year. His most powerful statement on health care in this country was..."you people are fucking nuts."

No question about it. We spend roughly twice as much per capita than northern European countries who get better coverage and results. That said, politics is the art of the possible and given our polarization and the rampant dishonesty of the GOP, there's no realistic chance of improving things. I'm still waiting for the GOP's "repeal and replace" plan, something Whell insisted years ago that they would deliver.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by finnbow

No question about it. We spend roughly twice as much per capita than northern European countries who get better coverage and results. That said, politics is the art of the possible and given our polarization and the rampant dishonesty of the GOP, there's no realistic chance of improving things. I'm still waiting for the GOP's "repeal and replace" plan, something Whell insisted years ago that they would deliver.

Agreed...however, we can also thank plenty of alleged Democrats for this. Just my opinion...there are just too many well to do liberal/Democrat voters who like their employment sponsored, insurance industry regulated health care just fine. If every alleged Democrat in the country (the citizens who have given the popular vote to the Democratic candidate in seven of the last eight elections) rose up and demanded government sponsored single payer health coverage (just simple medicare for all that paid 100% of all medical costs) would do just fine, the reich-wing wouldn't be able to stop it.

Again...I'm just spewing my opinion. I don't like most of the American people much these days.