Most of the top-earning executives at some of the nation’s largest for-profit healthcare organizations saw their overall compensation packages increase in 2024, according to proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Total compensation can include base salary, bonuses, stock and option awards (which can vary based on the company’s stock performance), as well as changes in pension value, nonqualified deferred compensation earnings, and other compensation.
Highest-earning chief executives in 2024 among large payers and health systems:
1. Andrew Witty, CEO, UnitedHealth Group
- Salary: $1,500,000
- Stock awards: $17,250,065
- Option awards: $5,750,053
- Nonequity incentive plan compensation: $1,500,000
- All other compensation: $339,097
- Total: $26,339,215
2. Saum Sutaria, MD, CEO, Tenet Healthcare
- Salary: $1,500,000
- Bonus: $500,000
- Stock awards: $15,113,930
- Non-equity incentive plan compensation: $6,750,000
- Other: $797,623
- Total: $24,661,553
3. Sam Hazen, CEO, HCA Healthcare
- Salary: $1,539,947
- Stock awards: $1,539,947
- Option awards: $8,158,720
- Non-equity incentive plan compensation: $5,116,688
- Changes in pension value and non-qualified deferred compensation earnings: $372,138
- Other compensation: $189,696
- Total: $23,799,137
4. David Cordani, chair and CEO, The Cigna Group
- Salary: $1,573,077
- Stock awards: $15,214,154
- Option awards: $3,340,009
- Nonequity incentive plan compensation: $2,720,000
- Change in pension value and deferred compensation: $31,059
- Other compensation: $372,797
- Total: $23,251,096
5. Joseph Zubretsky, president and CEO, Molina Healthcare
- Salary: $1,600,000
- Stock awards: $16,200,092
- Nonequity incentive plan compensation: $3,360,000
- Other compensation: $784,017
- Total: $21,944,109
- Salary: $1,400,000
- Stock awards: $14,630,132
- Nonequity incentive plan compensation: $4,289,125
- Other compensation: $282,891
- Total: $20,602,148
7. Gail Boudreaux, president and CEO, Elevance Health
- Salary: $1,600,000
- Stock awards: $12,600,032
- Option awards: $4,199,989
- Nonequity incentive plan: $1,142,400
- Other compensation: $929,555
- Total: $20,471,976
8. J. David Joyner, president and CEO, CVS Health
- Salary: $1,103,495
- Stock awards: $4,499,890
- Option awards: $11,999,997
- Other compensation: $205,410
- Total: $17,808,792
9. James Rechtin, president and CEO, Humana
- Salary: $1,105,769
- Stock awards: $7,317,483
- Option awards: $4,495,979
- Nonequity incentive plan: $1,943,477
- Other compensation: $716,768
- Total: $15,579,476
10. Marc Miller, CEO and president, Universal Health Services
- Salary: $1,406,154
- Stock awards: $9,255,605
- Option awards: $0
- Non-equity incentive plan compensation: $4,218,462
- Change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation: $81,123
- Other compensation: $60,492
- Total: $15,021,836
11. Tim Hingtgen, CEO, Community Health Systems
- Salary: $1.33 million
- Restricted stock awards: $1.72 million
- Option awards: $438,000
- Non-equity incentive plan: $3.23 million
- Changes in pension value and non-qualified deferred compensation earnings: $896,801
- Other compensation: $21,315
- Total: $7.6 million