(STAT) According to a STAT analysis of financial filings, the CEOs of more than 300 publicly traded healthcare companies combined to make $4 billion in 2022. That amount of money could buy Costco memberships for more than 66 million people, and it’s equivalent to the entire economic output of Sierra Leone.

There is a growing consensus that healthcare CEOs are overpaid. A 2021 study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the median compensation of CEOs of the top 250 health insurers, hospitals, and health systems was $24.5 million, more than 200 times the median compensation of their employees.

There are several reasons why healthcare CEOs may be overpaid. One reason is that the healthcare industry is highly profitable. In 2020, the average profit margin for health insurers was 4.8%, and the average profit margin for hospitals was 6.3%. This profitability allows healthcare CEOs to command high salaries.

Another reason healthcare CEOs may be overpaid is the highly complex healthcare industry. Healthcare CEOs need to deeply understand a wide range of issues, including medicine, finance, and law. This expertise can be challenging to find and commands a high price.

Finally, healthcare CEOs may be overpaid because of the competitive nature of the industry. Healthcare organizations are constantly vying for market share and need to attract and retain top talent to succeed. This can lead to bidding wars for chief executives and increasing salaries.

Whether or not healthcare CEOs are overpaid is a matter of debate. Some people believe that their salaries are justified, given the complexity and profitability of the industry. Others believe that their salaries are excessive and that they should be more closely aligned with their employees’ wages.

The question of whether or not healthcare CEOs are overpaid is a political one. There is no easy answer, and it will likely continue to be debated for many years.