In an unprecedented move by faith-based institutional shareholders, at least 21 U.S.-based health industry companies are the focus of shareholder resolutions asking them to publicly disclose the total compensation packages of their top executives, including their health care packages, compared with that of their lowest paid U.S. workers.

Among the insurers, medical device makers and other companies receiving the resolutions are many of the leading opponents of Congressional action on health care reform.

The 30 investors filing the resolutions belong to the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), which has an estimated 300 faith-based institutional investor-members with assets in excess of $100 billion.

The 21 companies receiving the shareholder resolutions are: Aetna; AIG; Allstate; Amerisource Bergen; Amgen; Cardinal Health; Cigna; Coventry Health; General Electric; Humana; Lilly (Eli) & Co; Lincoln National; McKesson; Medco Health Solutions; Medtronic; Stryker; The Travelers Corp.; 3M; UnitedHealth Group; UNUM Group; and WellPoint.

ICCR executive director Laura Berry said: "Shareholders, the government, citizens and investors are increasingly concerned about seemingly out of control growth in compensation packages for top executives at U.S. corporations, including those in the health industry. When the causes of skyrocketing health care costs are examined, this growth in health industry compensation is clearly a factor. These packages often reveal an accelerating pay gap between highest and lowest paid employees. Compounding this disparity, many employers have shifted a greater share of the overall health costs onto employees and their families. This makes lower-wage employees bear the burden of increased premiums, higher deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. This can lead to particularly egregious disparities when it comes to health industry companies that are simultaneously fueling health care expenses, opposing needed health care reform in Congress and covering fewer and fewer Americans."

Capuchin Rev. Michael Crosby, coordinator of the Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota/Coalition for Responsible Investment and a member of ICCR's Health Care Working Group, said, "Pay disparity is an important issue because costs in the market-based health industry have been much higher than other industries. Insurance companies and medical systems companies have been highlighted as among the most aggressive in challenging health care reform efforts in the United States. The filers believe health care costs will increase even more if universal health care fails. This will mean even higher costs and even fewer people covered by the health care system. This has led the faith-based shareholders in these companies to seek data whether there already may not be excessive compensation packages (including health care benefits) for the top executives within these companies vis-a-vis their lowest paid workers."

The Wisconsin organizations participating in the effort include: Diocese of Green Bay; Dominican Sisters of Hope; Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, LaCrosse; Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order (Midwest Capuchin Franciscans); SSM Finance Inc. of Brown Deer, School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee Province; School Sisters of St. Francis, U.S. Province, Milwaukee; and Sisters of St. Francis of Green Bay.

Separately, on Nov. 10, 60 ICCR members announced they are asking 36 major companies - including Merck, Wal-Mart, McDonald's, AT&T, IBM and General Electric - to state publicly if the U.S. Chamber of Commerce speaks for them in its "aggressive campaign to kill efforts to overhaul the U.S. health care system." All of the companies had previously agreed at the urging of shareholders to embrace health care principles that are now inconsistent with the anti-reform stance of the U.S. Chamber on health care legislation, the ICCR said.

The ICCR (http://www.iccr.org) is a coalition of approximately 300 faith-based institutional investors, representing well over $100 billion in invested capital.