House Republicans who are poised to vote to repeal the new health care reform law have an obligation to propose an alternative plan to deal with lack of coverage and rising health care costs, Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday.

“Show us the plan,” Nelson said during a telephone conference call from Washington.

Simple repeal means going back to 10 percent annual increases in insurance premiums, children being denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions, adult children who may be unemployed no longer being eligible for coverage in the family’s plan, seniors choosing between prescription drugs and other needs, and more businesses dropping employee coverage, Nelson said.

No one wants to go back to a system that denied coverage to 220,000 Nebraskans, the Democratic senator said.

“The American people have a right to know how they would be better off by having this plan repealed and skyrocketing premiums continue into the future,” Nelson said.

If the House is to be taken seriously, it needs to propose an alternative, he said, or its repeal vote will be “seen as a (political) gimmick.”

House Republicans plan to pass a bill next week repealing the health care reform law. But the Democratic majority in the Senate is expected to scuttle the proposal, setting the stage for a long congressional battle over efforts to amend or defund the legislation.

Nelson said he hopes to offer an alternative that would incentivize all Americans to acquire insurance without mandating individual coverage and assessing penalties for those who do not participate. The individual mandate is under attack in the courts.

His proposal would be built around a system of “open and closing enrollment periods” patterned after Medicare prescription drug coverage and most group insurance plans, Nelson said.

“There would be incentives to join the plan (rather than) penalties that require people to be in the plan,” he said.

Nelson condemned the “cavalier attitude” exhibited by some opponents of the health care reform law.

“Throwing it all out would cause a great deal of uncertainty,” he said, and lead to spiraling health care costs and a growing burden on the economy.

“I hope the new Congress will find ways to stop the partisan game-playing, the gotcha politics, the gridlock,” Nelson said.

“It’s time to start working together.”

About half of Americans aged 45 to 70 lack a financial plan to protect themselves against outliving their assets and pay for the rising cost of health care, according to a new survey by the Society of American Actuaries.

About one-third of those surveyed worry about running out of money but only about one in five plans to purchase an annuity or some other form of guaranteed, lifetime income.

Nearly three quarters (71 percent) of those surveyed said they plan to claim Social Security before the age of 70.

“With the challenges in the housing and financial markets over the past few years, coupled with the fact that people are living longer, many baby boomers are finding themselves unprepared to maintain their lifestyle in retirement,” said Anna Rappaport, president of Anna Rappaport Consulting.

Also of note: Only 19 percent of those surveyed plan to insure the extra costs of disability by purchasing long-term care insurance.

The White House is dismissing GOP plans to try to repeal the health care law as “symbolic” and “a bit of huff and puff.”

While trying to know the known and the unknown might seem to be somewhat confusing, it really only means that what you do know is the health condition and the needs of your family, right now – today,” said Clelland Green, RHU, president of Benepath. “You don’t have a crystal ball that tells you what will happen tomorrow or even later in life. If you have kids, you may wish for that ball frequently, especially when they get into accidents and need medical care.”

Let’s say the known factors are that the kids are young and they have a super pediatrician that they know, like and want to keep seeing. Do you plan to have more children? Does someone have a serious medical issue? “That’s good to start with, but, what about the unknown things in your life, such as if someone in your family got into an accident. How much could you pay to cover the bills?” Green asked. “Also, what if someone in the family developed a serious medical issue, how much could you pay out of pocket? The answers to these questions will usually help you to choose the right family health insurance plan.”

Stuck for finding quotes for family health insurance? It’s actually not as hard as it used to be to find comprehensive health insurance quotes. These days, people may get them online or by calling a health insurance company directly. An added bonus with the advent of Web 2.0 is that there are more insurance companies offering instant quotes based on whatever criteria the consumer plugs into the online form.

“In order to get a viable quote, use the same information on all websites you visit. Then, make a list of the details of life, like age, sex, whether you smoke or not, whether you are a college student or not and your medical history. Make sure you’re truthful about the medical history, because if you aren’t, this will come back and bite you later,” Green said. Try the various search parameters while online and search by company, prescription plans, co-insurance, deductibles and monthly premiums or by company. The world of health insurance is an oyster waiting to be selected.

“To really nail down your family health insurance needs, speak directly to a health insurance agent who knows his carriers, knows his plans and knows you need to work within a budget. They’re experts at what they do; a benefit to you and your family when it comes to getting the right kind of family health insurance,” Green said.

In my 30 years practicing emergency medicine it wasn’t unusual for a patient to come in seeking treatment by “borrowing” someone else’s insurance ID.

One patient I remember well came in complaining of chest pain. It turned out that the ID he was using belonged to another patient who I had treated several years before for a heart rhythm disturbance. Once we compared their EKGs, we realized these were two different people. The fraudulent patient didn’t have a heart problem. We discovered his deception before administering any drugs or treatments that would have been inappropriate, or even potentially dangerous to him.

This type of fraud is not only a problem for hospitals and insurers, but the fraudulent patient may receive treatment based on someone else’s medical history and the medical records of the patient whose ID is used can become distorted and inaccurate.

The annual price tag of health care fraud adds up to a staggering $226 billion, according to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association According to the White House, improper payments in the Medicare and Medicaid programs – including fraud as well as errors and mistakes – cost $54 billion last year. All of this is a huge drain on an already strained medical system.

How can we get a better handle on medical fraud to stop it? How can we reduce abuses and mistakes that illegitimately take money out of our system?

One of the best ways to protect ourselves is to prevent the fraud in the first place. Medicare and Medicaid, however, are required to pay claims within 30 days. This means that fraudulent claims are often not discovered until after they are paid.

Today, government, private insurers, medical professionals and individual patients are getting a whole lot smarter and using new, more sophisticated methods to spot the fraud early and stop payments. The challenge is to identify fraud while minimally inconveniencing legitimate patients and providers.

The Affordable Care Act includes tougher rules and criminal penalties, and expanded recovery efforts.

On July 22, President Obama signed the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act, which extends to all federal agencies, including Medicare, efforts to reduce payment errors and fraudulent payments by requiring agencies to have corrective plans and targets for reducing errors and overpayments. This holds some hope for success. A Medicare pilot program that was carried out in a number of states over a three-year period recouped $992 million.

Insurance companies are also using advanced technologies and analytical software to sort through tens of thousands of providers and hundreds of millions of claims within minutes to search out fraud and abuse. Health benefits companies using these new systems have achieved a nearly 90 percent reduction in fraud, a sharp contrast to previous methods, which typically net 20 to 30 percent reductions. For example, Aetna’s special investigations unit was able to identify questionable claims at more than 200 facilities, and saved more than $20 million.

On an individual level, here are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself:

• Don’t give personal or medical information on the phone unless you initiated the contact and you know who you’re dealing with.
• Keep your paper and electronic records secure. When asked for sensitive information, such as your social security number, ask why it’s needed and how it will be kept safe.
• Shred health insurance forms, prescriptions and physician statements before you throw them away.
• Read the statements you get from your insurer and make sure the claims paid match the care you received.

I want to emphasize something that Nancy-Ann DeParle pointed out in our interview: The GOP isn’t banning discrimination based on pre-existing conditions. They just want you to think they are.

When I first read over the GOP’s “repeal-and-replace” language, I figured it wouldn’t work: You can’t ban preexisting conditions without also passing an individual mandate and subsidies for people who can’t afford care. Premiums will skyrocket as the sick rush into the system and the healthy rush out. This is partially what happened in Massachusetts, and it led a Republican governor named Mitt Romney to sign a bill that looked a lot like the Affordable Care Act. And you don’t have to believe me on this one. Just ask the National Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru.

But bad policy is one thing. Deceitful policy is another. And it looks like the GOP’s language was intentionally misleading. Under the heading “we will ensure access for people with pre-existing conditions,” the document mentions high-risk pools and reinsurance programs, and then says, “We will make it illegal for an insurance company to deny coverage to someone with prior coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition, eliminate annual and lifetime spending caps, and prevent your insurer from dropping your coverage just because you got sick.”

On first read, that seems like they lifted the language direct from the Affordable Care Act. And Republicans have been using it all day to protect against charges that they’ll repeal the bill’s many popular parts. But notice: “to someone with prior coverage.” So it’s not the case that an insurer can’t turn me away for a long history of allergies. They just can’t turn me away if I already had their insurance. Which is both unimportant and already written into federal law.

Now, you might say the language is clear enough and it’s not their job to make sure everyone reads it closely. But when Norah O’Donnell interviewed Rep. William Thornberry, he either intentionally or unintentionally blurred the difference. Asked whether the GOP would repeal the Affordable Care Act’s protection for children with preexisting conditions, he waved the question away. “It says when we repeal Obamacare, part of the replacement is protection for people with pre-existing conditions,” he replied.

That’s just not true. But it shows the difficulty the GOP is going to have when they try to move the conversation from “should we pass Obama’s health-care bill?” to “should we repeal, replace, or stop funding Obama’s health-care law?” The bill is unpopular. But the component parts are popular. And even now, when Republicans have as much momentum as they’re likely to get, they’re afraid to say that they actually oppose what the bill does and they’re just going to get rid of all of it. But though these sorts of word games might work when people are skimming your campaign pamphlet, they don’t when you’re actually writing legislation.

A national organization has alerted the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about provisions in the new health care plan that could make it impossible for public and private universities to offer certain types of student health insurance.

The American Council on Education said the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would imperil certain plans commonly self-funded by universities or administered through licensed health insurance companies.

Health care reforms require individuals to carry health insurance by 2014 or pay a tax penalty, with such plans requiring a certain standard of “minimum essential coverage,” according to statements by ACE.

Unless university student plans meet the definition of such coverage, students and parents would have to obtain coverage elsewhere or pay a penalty, according to the organization.

“This would adversely impact the ability of colleges and universities to continue to provide affordable quality health coverage for those students who are in need of coverage,” a letter from the organization said, asking for HHS to designate such student plans as meeting the requirements for “minimum essential coverage.”

Such policies often are issued for a limited period, less than a year, which means that they have been classified as short-term, limited duration policies under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Currently, students with comprehensive student health plan coverage would not satisfy the minimum essential coverage requirement due to a “definitional technicality,” the organization said.

The organization is seeking a “framework for understanding,” said Steven Bloom, assistant director — federal relations with ACE.

“As you might expect, it’s a big, complicated piece of legislation,” Bloom said of the health reform bill. “We needed them to clarify certain things for us.”

Some schools may begin negotiating health insurance this fall for contracts that may last up to or include 2014, he said.

“Our goal is to ensure that we make available to students and their parents student health plans that are affordable and high-quality,” Bloom said.

Such coverage is particularly important for both international students and students whose parents’ health plan is limited by geography, he said.

Changes under the health reform bill would allow individuals to remain on their parents’ health insurance all the way until age 26, he said.

“But for those who can’t do that, these health insurance plans are there,” he said.

Current language, ACE said, also would prohibit colleges and universities from providing coverage only to their student population, rather than the whole individual market.

The organization is seeking clarification before 2011 contract negotiations to avoid “unnecessary premium increases,” according to ACE’s letter.

Whether the changes might affect an individual school in Abilene varied.

McMurry University Dean of Student Affairs Vanessa Roberts said all students at McMurry are required to show proof of health insurance.

The school does offer students the chance to buy health insurance through a company called Academic Health Plans, administered through Aetna, she said.

“All the ones that we offer are for a full (calendar) year,” she said.

All international students are required to purchase a plan through McMurry, Roberts said. Also required is “hard-waiver” health insurance for all student athletes.

“They are required to purchase the McMurry health insurance plan unless they have their own health insurance,” she said.

Optional health insurance may be purchased from the university by all other students, Roberts said.

International students attending Hardin-Simmons University are required to purchase health insurance through the school, said Janlyn Thaxton.

For all others, “we provide brochures to help students buy insurance if they want it, but they get it on their own,” she said.

It was unclear how new national health care policies might change what the school is doing, Thaxton and others said.

“We will have to continue to conduct business as usual until we discover something new to cause us to change,” said Michael Whitehorn, HSU’s senior vice president for student development. “Right now, we just don’t know how new national policies on insurance and health care might affect our international students.”

Abilene Christian University offers, as most schools do, services through its medical clinic subsidized through student health fees, but at the moment does not offer insurance plans, said Jeff Arrington, associate vice president for student life.

“We will not be serving as an insuring agent,” he said, saying the school most likely in the future would work through an insurance broker to help match students with plans that fit them.

“But the business arrangement would be with the student and the insurance company that offers this plan,” he said.

The majority of students who attend the university have insurance through their parents, he said.

Cisco College does not offer student health plans nor does it operate an on-campus clinic, said spokeswoman Amy Evans.

“We refer students who need health care and/or health care plans to third-party providers,” she said in an e-mail.

You may remember pea as one of the food you hate when you were a child. Though as you grow older you realize the nutritional value of a pea and other foods and vegetable that you love to hate that even start a fight with your mom.

Green peas are generally described as a green spherical that contains seeds. A member of the legume family and is classified as Pisum sativum. Green peas are usually harvested during spring up to the beginning of winter but frozen, canned and dried peas are available all year round.

Just like any other legumes, peas have a very rich nutrient value. It is high in protein and forms vitamins and minerals too. Peas are different from beans. Beans have higher calcium and phosphorus and peas offers lower level of them but they provide similar level of proteins and carbohydrates. The fiber content of a pea aids to lower the cholesterol level of the body, thus, making it good intake for dieters.

Nutritional values of Peas

Green peas are nutritious because it contains:

• Most of the vitamins of the B group use to enhance metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. They are a rich source of vitamin B1 or thiamin. Green peas are full of folic acid in the synthetic form and a water soluble vitamin B. They are a good source of riboflavin, niacin and pyridoxine.
• Green peas are rich in vitamins A, C and K.
• High level of calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron and potassium.
• Much protein and energy as meat, being high in good quality protein may also be a substitute for meat if consumed at the same amount.
• the best sources of soluble fiber
• Very low level of fats.

The nutritional value that peas can give to your body also depends upon the amount of intake. Here is the list of nutritional value of green peas in a 100 gm of serving

• Dietary fiber – 5.1 g
• Phosphorus – 108 mg
• Fat – 0.4 g
• Vitamin A – 38 μg
• Beta-carotene – 449 μg
• Carbohydrates – 14.5 g
• Riboflavin or Vitamin B2 – 0.1 mg
• Niacin or Vitamin B3 – 2.1 mg
• Pantothenic Acid or Vitamin B5 – 0.1 mg
• Vitamin B6 – 0.2 mg
• Sugars – 5.7 g
• Folate or Vitamin B9 – 65 μg
• Vitamin C – 40.0 mg
• Calcium – 25.0 mg
• Iron – 1.5 mg
• Magnesium – 33.0 mg
• Thiamin or Vitamin B1 – 0.3 mg
• Energy – 80 kcal (340 kJ)
• Protein – 5.4 g
• Potassium – 244 mg
• Zinc – 1.2 mg

The Fresh peas may contain different nutrient value from dried or canned peas.  Dried peas have more calories due to its lack of water. Peas give almost the same nutritional value and health benefits with other common beans but it provides few more nutrients than the others.

Fish is the most widely consumed meat all over the globe. All health experts agree that “seafood is good for you.” Fish can be one of the best diet foods in the market.  Fish is a low fat food with a high protein level that provides tons of health benefits. It has the lowest fat contents than any other animal proteins. Red meat usually contains the “bad” fats commonly known as the Omega 6 where as fish contain s omega 3which is known as the “good” fats.

Nutritional Information

Vitamins

Fish is a good source of B vitamins. Vitamin B converts the food intake of the body into energy in the cells, preventing fats to be stored in the body. The fish that are rich in oil produces vitamin A that gives us healthy eyesight and good for the skin, hair and nails. It also provides vitamin D that good for bone health, keeps bones and teeth strong.

Minerals

Fish also produces important minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium and phosphorus. It is also a good source of calcium for the bone health and strong bones. It contains Iodine and fluorine that boost the growth and development of one’s body and enhances metabolism.

Protein

Fish is an excellent source of protein.  It easily repairs and maintain lean tissue and used for body building. It can suffice the absence of protein from red meat.  Our body cannot store much protein having daily or regular intake of fish can meet the protein needs of our body. Good source of protein can also contribute in losing body weight because it enhances the metabolism.

Low In fat

Fish is much known as the meat that is low in fat. Fish is the best dish for people who are under low-fat diet. It has a very low level of saturated fats which is not at all beneficial to the body. Unsaturated fat the fish reduces the cholesterol level of our body, thus, reducing the risk of heart disease.

Omega-3

Fish is a good source of Omega-3, it is a nutrient that the body does not produce and must be taken in the body through fish. It is a polyunsaturated fats that is plays an essential role in the body such as:

• Protect the body from any cardiovascular diseases by helping the proper regulation of the blood vessel that prevents blood clotting;
• It is essential for prenatal and postnatal neurological development;
• Reduces the inflammation of tissues and avoids the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis;
• reduces depression;
• Avoids mental decline in older people such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
• prevents Asthma—children who eats fish has lower risk of having asthma and;
• It reduces the risk of cancer.

The fish’s main health benefit is it suppresses the progress of disease. It is claimed that fish prevents such illness not cure them. Maintain a balanced meal of taking fish at least two times a week. Let yourself be protected against diseases by regular intake of fish.

One of the healthiest foods that you can have in your life is salmon.  It works wonders for your health, and it tastes good too.  You can ask anybody who eats fish, and they will say that salmon is one of the best fish they have eaten.  But then, contrary to what people say that if it tastes really good, then it must not be good for your health; salmon is actually very good for your health.  It has so many health benefits that you’ll simply want to eat it everyday.

Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Salmon is one of the best sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, otherwise known as healthy fats or good fats.  Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for the heart, for those with high blood sugar levels, and for those who wish to lose weight.

Stress Buster

For those who are feeling a little blue, or a bit down, and also those who are just feeling stressed, then chase those blues away by eating salmon.  Basically what is responsible for such mood boosting is the high protein and omega-3 fatty acids it contains.  In fact, you’ll find yourself having a brighter mood, increased energy, and a much better feeling.  It simply improves your well-being.

Intelligent Food

Since salmon is a rich source of omega-3, it actually improves memory, keeps you alert for long hours, and it simply increases overall brain efficiency.  In fact, pregnant women are even encouraged to eat salmon because the omega-3 fatty acids can do wonders on the baby’s brain development.  So if you’re feeling a bit mentally exhausted, gobble up a few slices of salmon – it could get you back on track.

Enhances Metabolism

For health buffs out there, salmon is one thing that you should have in your diet.  Most health aficionados go for tuna, which is also good, but salmon is so much better.  Salmon, for one has lower mercury content than white tuna.  Compared to other meats, poultry, and so on, salmon has significantly lower calories. Salmon is also easily digestible and its nutrients are easily absorbed by the body.  So whether you’re maintaining your weight or trying to lose some, or perhaps just want to stay healthy, then salmon is a must in your diet.

Enhances Bodily Functions

Other benefits you get from eating salmon is preventing the risk of heart attack, enhances the digestive system, reduces chances of cancers of the colon, prostate, and kidneys, and is a great source of protein for older people.

Secret to Beauty

When you’re healthy inside, it shows outside too.  Eating salmon actually improves skin texture, eyes, eyesight, hair sheen, and nails.  So basically, if you’re healthy inside, it will definitely show.  It is also a fact that salmon is great in anti-aging because it contains lots of vitamin A, B, and D, omega-3 fatty acids, and lots of anti-oxidants, which are great in combating stress and aging.   So who’s up for some smoked salmon tonight?

Employers across the US expect the cost of health insurance to rise dramatically in 2011, according to a survey conducted by the National Business Group on Health.

The survey and consequent report covered large businesses and predicts an overall increase in health insurance costs of just under 9%, quite a rise. And a cost that will pass on to employees.

While people in the US and Canada fear that health insurance quotes will continue to be pushed up by the maturing baby boomer generation.

According to a poll commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association reveals four in five Canadians expect the demands places on the health care system by the influx of baby boomers will reduce service quality.

The survey also found that this is accompanied by fears of rising health costs that will make it hard for many baby booomers to get the necessary attention, and lead to increases in taxes to deal with it as the younger generations will have to help financially.

But in the younger generations there is a willingness of people to buy private health care to alleviate pressures on public health care, the survey also found.

As the new health reform law requires, states are continuing to establish health insurance pools for “high-risk” patients.

The Associated Press/Chicago Sun-Times: “Hundreds of Illinois residents have submitted applications for a new federally funded health insurance program for people with medical problems. … Illinois Department of Insurance Director Michael McRaith says about 370 applications were submitted during the first few hours” (Johnson, 8/22).

Chicago Tribune: “Enrollment in the Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (IPXP) will proceed on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s one of the first major programs to be rolled out in Illinois under recently enacted national health legislation. Funding comes from premiums and from the federal government, which is giving the state $196 million to run the plan until 2014, when a much more extensive program for people without insurance will begin. … Congress has allocated $5 billion for the pools, not nearly enough to cover existing needs, experts note. Nationally, as many as 400,000 people are expected to enroll” (Graham, 8/20).

NBC Chicago: “Illinois is one of about 30 states across the country establishing similar ‘high-risk pools’ under national health reform legislation passed earlier this year.
Here’s what you need to know if you plan to apply: Must be a U.S. citizen, national or legal resident. Must be uninsured for 6 months or more. Must have a preexisting condition” (Nels, 8/20).

The Associated Press/Bloomberg Businessweek: “The federal government has set aside $196 million for Illinois, enough to cover claims for an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 people. Many thousands more might be eligible — as many as 218,000 people, according to a 2008 U.S. Government Accountability Office report. Monthly premiums will be reasonable: $111 to $653 depending on a person’s age, where they live and whether they use tobacco. Federal law requires that monthly premiums be no more expensive than similar coverage in Illinois” (Johnson, 8/20).

Whittier [California] Daily News: “It’s one of the first provisions of federal health care reform to affect Californians. A new health insurance program for people with pre-existing conditions will begin in September.
The state’s Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board will begin accepting applications for the fund later this month.
In April, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that California will operate this plan rather than rely on the federal government, a stance taken by 27 other states. … California will receive $761 million to operate the plan through the end of 2013, when insurance rules will change so that pre-existing conditions are no longer considered in insurance pricing and eligibility” (Steinberg, 8/21).

America has a very expensive health care system. Perhaps you’ve noticed.

There are many reasons. We want the newest, most expensive and heavily promoted technology and drugs — even when they’re only marginally better than less expensive models they replaced.

The system is filled with perverse incentives that encourage doctors and hospitals to provide more care, not better care.

Our supersized couch-potato culture is producing a bumper crop of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

Compared to all of that, compensation for health care executives is a drop in the bucket. But it is a very high-profile drop, and it’s about to get even more attention.

Modern Healthcare, a leading health industry trade journal, published its annual executive compensation survey this week. Topping the list is Stephen Hemsley, quoted above, who gave a speech to the Detroit Economic Club last year questioning the value Americans receive for all that health spending.

His take for 2009: $106 million — $7.5 million in salary and benefits and $98.5 million in stock options.

Mr. Hemsley is not alone. The CEOs at insurance giants Cigna, Humana, Aetna, Coventry Health Systems and WellPoint all took home between $10 million and about $18 million. Many of those companies already have announced double-digit premium increases for next year.

In all, the CEOs of America’s 10 largest health insurance companies made $228.1 million in salary and stock options during 2009, accor ding to the liberal advocacy group Health Care For America Now. (That’s enough to buy health insurance for at least 47,284 people, based on figured cited in this Kaiser Family Foundation survey on average premiums.)

Since 2000, those CEOs have received slightly less than $1 billion in compensation, the group said.

Think it doesn’t matter? Overall health spending increased by about 72 percent between 2000 and 2009. In that same period, insurance company overhead increased by 95 percent.

Of course, that’s just the insurance companies. Generous compensation is the rule throughout the health care industry.

Researchers analyzed pay and benefits for 342 CEOs of corporations in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

They found that health care CEOs received an average compensation of $10.5 million last year. That’s 40 percent more than the average for all S&P 500 companies — 77 percent higher than chief executives at financial services companies.

Most hospitals rely on government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, for a substantial share of their income. That probably will increase with health care reform.

About 85 percent of U.S. hospitals are nonprofit corporations, exempt from paying sales, income and property taxes. That gives the public an even larger stake in their efficient operation.

Executives deserve to be fairly compensated. Health care is a challenging field. But every dollar spent on executives and administrators is a dollar that doesn’t go to actual health care.

Last year, the average compensation for hospital system CEOs was $1 million. That’s enough to hire five new primary care doctors.

Are Americans getting good value for the $2.6 trillion we’ll spend on health care this year? Is the $160 billion we paid for insurance company overhead a smart investment?