HCA Healthcare's $6.8B Profit Meets Worker Push for $25 Wage

HCA Healthcare, America's largest for-profit hospital chain, posted $6.8 billion in 2025 profits and authorized a $10 billion stock buyback (repurchasing shares to lift their value). CEO Sam Hazen earned $26.5 million — about 420 times the median worker's $62,955. Now 22,000 SEIU union members are picketing over a dozen HCA hospitals across four states, seeking a path to $25 hourly pay.