Median pay for CEOs of the biggest U.S. companies hit a new record of $13.1 million in 2019, and the leaders of 11 healthcare companies earned $21 million or more last year, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.
Though most S&P 500 CEOs received raises of 8 percent or better last year, many companies across all industries have announced salary reductions for CEOs this year due to financial pressures linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below are the 20 healthcare industry CEOs with the biggest packages in 2019, according to WSJ's analysis of compensation for leaders of S&P 500 companies.
1. Larry J. Merlo, CVS Health: $36.5 million
2. Daniel O'Day, Gilead Sciences: $29.1 million
3. Miles D. White, Abbott Laboratories: $27.8 million
4. Kenneth C. Frazier, Merck: $27.6 million
5. Samuel N. Hazen, HCA Healthcare: $26.8 million
6. Michael F. Neidorff, Centene: $26.4 million
7. Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson: $25.4 million
8. Alan B. Miller, Universal Health Services: $24.5 million
9. Richard A. Gonzalez, AbbVie: $21.6 million
10. Leonard S. Schleifer, Regeneron: $21.5 million
11. David A. Ricks, Eli Lilly: $21.3 million
12. Robert A. Bradway, Amgen: $19.6 million
13. David Cordani, Cigna: $19.3 million
14. Stefano Pessina, Walgreens: $19.2 million
15. Marc N. Casper, Thermo Fisher Scientific: $19 million
16. Ludwig Hantson, Alexion Pharmaceuticals: $18.9 million
T-16. David S. Wichmann, UnitedHealth: $18.9 million
18. Giovanni Caforio, Bristol-Myers Squibb: $18.8 million
19. Heather M. Bresch, Mylan: $18.5 million
20. Michel Vounatsos, Biogen: $18.2 million