Baker should demand answers on CEO’s exit from Harvard Pilgrim
The rising cost of health care keeps many of us up at night.
The math alone is a nightmare. A family of four can expect to pay $28,166 this year for health care, according to the annual Milliman Medical Index. Then there’s the soaring cost of prescription drugs, worries about catastrophic disease, dental work, new glasses, gym fees ...
That’s why Harvard Pilgrim Health Care should come clean on why CEO Eric Schultz resigned.
Saying, as Schultz did in a statement this week, that he “exhibited behavior that was inconsistent with ... personal core values and the company’s core values and code of conduct” is simply not good enough.
He pulled down a $2 million-plus salary in 2016, records show. What did he earn last year? Was he given money heading out the door? Did anyone else get a payout?
What was the questionable “behavior” that rocked his “core values” so terribly?
Gov. Charlie Baker — the former head of Harvard Pilgrim — is taking a hands-off approach.
“I think Harvard Pilgrim is a private nonprofit, and they made a decision to remove their CEO. That’s their decision,” Baker told the Herald when asked if the company should reveal the details.
Sorry, Charlie, that’s taking accountability in the wrong direction.
Ratepayers have a right to know what Schultz did and any fallout it may have had.
Leaving us guessing is an insult to all the hardworking moms and dads who hunt for the right doctors and cut back to make sure the insurance bills are paid.
Sure, hike the deductibles and bring on the battery of new tests. But at least tell us what’s forcing out the CEO of a major player in the industry.
There should one standard of transparency if you’re in public life or private life.
Baker and other public officials should speak out and demand answers on the public’s behalf. That’s not happening. Not from the Corner Office nor from the attorney general’s office.
There’s still time to tell us why Eric Schultz said goodbye to $2 million or more a year.