Mar 6, 2017

Two Americas

401 2012/ Flickr cc

Workaday stalwarts at the nation's non-profits won't enjoy Andrea Fuller's Wall Street Journal front-pager, "Million-Dollar Paydays Jump For Officials At Charities."

  • "About 2,700 people had seven-figure pay packages at the nonprofits in 2014, a number that was up a third in three years, newly searchable IRS data show."
  • "Many of the $1 million-or-more packages ... included deferred-compensation contributions or payouts. In about a quarter the base pay was $1 million or more."
  • "About three-fourths of the charities that provided million-dollar compensation packages in 2014 were involved in health care. About 10% were private colleges."
  • "The biggest 2014 package went to Anthony Tersigni, president and chief executive of Missouri-based Ascension, one of the largest hospital operators ... His compensation totaled $17.6 million [including] a $10.2 million bonus."

Smart take: The steep paydays for these tax-exempt organizations has an especially big impact on the health care industry, Bob Herman reports — because about three-fourths of the charities that provided million-dollar compensation packages in 2014 were involved in health care.

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