Who profits most from America’s baffling health-care system?
Hindustan TimesON OCTOBER 4TH more than 75,000 employees of Kaiser Permanente, a large health-care chain, began a three-day strike. The walkout was the biggest in the history of America’s health sector, and called attention to the staffing shortages plaguing the country’s hospitals and clinics. In 2022 the combined revenue of the nine biggest middlemen—call them big health—equated to nearly 45% of America’s health-care bill, up from 25% in 2013. Big health accounts for eight of the top 25 companies by revenue in the S&P 500 index of America’s leading stocks, compared with four for big tech and none for big pharma. In August Blue Shield of California, a regional health insurer, ditched CVS’s PBM in favour of smaller firms to save on drug costs for its nearly 5m members.
History of this topic
Letters to the Editor: Don’t target insurance CEOs. Target the medical insurance industry
LA Times
The UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killing And Social Media's Reaction
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No surprise Americans are ‘rooting for’ the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer
Al Jazeera
UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insurance
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America the unwell: The corporate greed threatening our stability
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A doctor’s impassioned critique of Big Pharma
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