PacifiCare-FHP Merger

In “PacifiCare HMO to Acquire FHP for $2.1 Billion” (Aug. 6), you reported some interesting statistics, but you omitted some very startling figures that you had mentioned in an Aug. 30, 1995, article.

In that article, you indicated that the CEO of PacifiCare received in 1994 cash compensation of $847,803 and the CEO of FHP received $953,000.

May your readers draw their own conclusions, but if the merger goes through, I’ll be interested to see the new salaries.

The Rev. ROBERT I. MILLER

Duarte

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The article mentioned that FHP was lagging in “profit growth.” I question the wisdom of using profits as the benchmark, the measure of a well-running health insurance system. In fact, profits are subtracted from health care. It seems to me that the presence of profits is an indication of wasted, or misdirected, money. If there is a financing crisis, the last thing we need is for money to be subtracted out for profit.

JANE HIRSCH

Pacific Palisades