Premiums provided by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois are skyrocketing. So where's the extra revenue going? Some is funneling straight into the bank accounts of the company's leading executives. Crain's reports today that every single one of the non-profit insurer's top 10 executives experienced compensation boosts of at least 48 percent in 2009. Patricia Hemingway Hall, CEO of Health Care Service Corp. (which owns Blue Cross), saw her total compensation increase 62 percent last year, up to $8.7 million. Her predecessor, Ray McCaskey, hauled in $15.7 million, the result of stacked-up bonus compensation payments.

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called on Blue Cross to "publicly justify premium hikes." Whatever their justification, it's going to be a whole lot harder to swallow in light of these salary increases.