Blue Cross Blue Shield – The Public Trough?

I hate to go on a rant here, but $70,000 to be on the board of directors? (Read the Boston Herald story here.) That’s a pretty good gig. How does one get a gig like that?

Well, if you’re Bob Haynes, I suppose, you flex your political muscle as head of the state’s AFL-CIO. Though, you would think it’d bring up conflict of interest issues, as BCBS is hard-wired into a good number of the local public employee union contracts. Actually, if you think about it, at $70,000, Bob might be underpaid. Ensuring that BCBS doesn’t have to compete on cost for municipal business has to be worth a lot more than that.

Looking around the BCBS director table, we also spy there Ralph Martin, former Suffolk County DA and rumored Boston mayoral candidate. I hope one of his advisers has the sense to whisper in Ralph’s ear that, as health care costs might be a big campaign issue come 2009, he might want to decline the $54,000 he is reported to be receiving for attending 7 meetings a year.