HCA Healthcare Posts $6.8B Profit, $10B Buyback as 22,000 Workers Demand $25 Minimum Wage

HCA Healthcare, the largest US for-profit hospital system, reported $6.8 billion in 2025 profits and authorized a $10 billion stock buyback in early 2026. CEO Sam Hazen received over $26.5 million — roughly 420 times the median employee's $62,955. Meanwhile, 22,000 SEIU-represented workers are bargaining for a pathway to $25 an hour and picketing at over a dozen HCA hospitals across four states.