Executives keep health perks while workers' benefits are cut

[Vinnie From Indy]

Though millions of workers face rising health insurance costs and dwindling benefits in 2011, many CEOs will retain employer-paid medical plans and health benefits worth thousands of dollars.
Hundreds of top corporate managers get medical benefits and supplemental coverage far beyond what's offered to rank-and-file employees. Benefits include "executive" physicals and reimbursements for out-of-pocket costs, deductibles and co-payments, according to corporate filings.

"The great hypocrisy is this is going to the people best able to pay for this stuff," says Nell Minow of The Corporate Library. "Executives should pay for this on their own or be covered by the same plan as everyone else at the company."

Some companies are eliminating gold-plated medical benefits to senior managers, a move that's at the discretion of corporate directors. And the new health care law could make the plans more costly in the future. But, for now, most company plans — covering both rank-and-file employees as well as executives receiving supplemental benefits — are grandfathered at least until 2014

More at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-12-10-rw_ceohealthplan10_ST_N.htm