It's the usual story: hospitals say they are paying their CEOs what they feel they must, and consumers don't like the numbers. This time the tale is playing out in Connecticut, where a newspaper analysis of state CEO salaries has highlighted some big increases. Last year, eight Connecticut hospital administrators earned more than $1 million, according to an analysis of state data by the Hartford Courant. The highest paid was Middlesex Hospital CEO Robert Kiely, whose compensation has just about tripled over the past three years to about $1.9 million, including fringe benefits. The study also noted that where salaries didn't increase, fringe benefits have. Kiely, for example, got an extra $816,000 in his retirement fund last year, while Stamford Hospital CEO Brian Grissler saw his fringe benefits climb almost 400 percent, to $618,000. Board members of hospitals said that even within non-profits, these levels of pay and benefits are necessary to compete for top private-sector talent on a national level. Consumer advocates, meanwhile, argue that these salaries aren't appropriate when up to 400,000 people in the state don't have health insurance.
To get more data on Connecticut CEO pay:
- read this Associated Press piece