HCA Workers Fight for Fair Pay Amid Billions in Profits
· outdoors
Hospital Giants Reap Profits as Workers Struggle to Make Ends Meet
Picket lines outside hospitals in California, Texas, Nevada, and Florida underscore a deepening crisis in America’s healthcare system. Behind these protests lies a disturbing tale of profit over people – where corporate giants reap billions while their workers struggle to keep up with basic necessities.
For Esther Reyes, an environmental services technician at Las Palmas hospital in El Paso, Texas, the reality is all too familiar. Her meager $16.80 hourly salary forces her to constantly juggle bills, choosing which ones to pay and when. This has become so dire that she can’t even afford basic necessities like water and gas for her family of three.
The situation is not unique to Reyes; it’s a systemic issue rooted in the for-profit healthcare model. Hospital chains like HCA Healthcare prioritize shareholders over workers, doling out massive bonuses to executives while their employees barely scrape by. In 2025, HCA raked in $6.8 billion in profits – an 17.8% increase from the previous year.
HCA workers face increasing workloads and dwindling benefits. Jody Domineck, a pediatric nurse with over 20 years of experience at HCA’s Sunrise hospital in Las Vegas, noted that despite improved profit margins, hospitals continue to face staffing shortages that impact both workers and patients. “Our work is how they’re making billions,” she said. “We are just asking for fair compensation.”
The numbers paint a damning picture: HCA CEO Sam Hazen received more than $26.5 million in total compensation in 2025 – 420 times the median compensation for HCA employees, who earn around $62,955. This gulf between executive pay and worker wages is not only morally reprehensible but also unsustainable.
Healthcare workers are pushing for a pathway to a $25 an hour minimum wage, improved benefits, and staffing guarantees. However, hospital chains like HCA resist these demands. The company’s spokesperson dismissed concerns over patient safety, emphasizing the “outstanding issues” are about compensation. But is it not precisely this disregard for worker well-being that leads to staffing shortages and compromised care?
In Nevada, Republican Governor Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill establishing safer nurse-to-patient ratios in 2025 – a decision that HCA members are now trying to rectify through their contract demands. The push for such guarantees highlights the systemic failures of the for-profit healthcare model.
As this standoff continues, one thing is clear: America’s healthcare workers cannot be treated as expendable cogs in the corporate machine. Their struggles to make ends meet and provide quality care to patients are a direct result of prioritizing profits over people.
It comes down to fundamental questions of values and priorities. Do we believe that our healthcare system should be driven by the profit motive or by the need for compassionate care? The answer lies not in the hospitals’ boardrooms but in the picket lines stretching outside their doors – where workers are fighting for a fair share of the profits they help generate.
The negotiations will continue, and one can only hope that HCA and other hospital chains will finally recognize the value of their employees. Until then, the struggle for dignity and fairness will persist, echoing through the halls of hospitals across America.
Reader Views
- JHJess H. · thru-hiker
It's hard to swallow when corporate giants like HCA are making billions while their workers can barely afford basic necessities. But what gets lost in this narrative is how these hospital chains have also contributed to our country's nurse shortage by prioritizing profits over staffing and training. If we truly want to fix the healthcare system, let's start by examining the root cause of our nursing shortages: underpaying and undervaluing these essential workers.
- MTMarko T. · expedition guide
The healthcare industry's for-profit model is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme where executives reap billions while frontline workers struggle to make ends meet. But what about the long-term consequences of chronically understaffed hospitals? We're not just talking about burnout and turnover; we're talking about compromised patient care, decreased hospital safety, and ultimately, increased healthcare costs down the line. The emphasis on profits over people is a ticking time bomb that will explode in our faces unless we address it now.
- TTThe Trail Desk · editorial
The for-profit healthcare model is built on exploiting its workforce. While HCA's billions in profits continue to balloon, executives reap massive bonuses while workers like Esther Reyes struggle to make ends meet. The true cost of this system isn't just financial; it's also human. By prioritizing shareholder interests over employee well-being, hospitals create a toxic work environment that jeopardizes patient care. It's time for lawmakers and hospital administrators to address the systemic issue of executive compensation and prioritize fair pay for workers who are the backbone of America's healthcare system.