6) Insurance Company CEO
Earnings: $1.18 million a year
Where: BETA Healthcare Group Risk Management Authority, California
BETA was created in the 1970s by 17 California district hospitals to provide affordable medical malpractice insurance to healthcare workers. Its CEO, Tom Wander, earned more than $1 million in total compensation in 2012, making him one of the best-paid public employee in the Golden State. Because BETA is organized as a special district, a narrowly-focused government agency in California, its public servants need to be highly specialized, have advanced degrees and know local regulations, and as a result tend to have higher salary rates than other public employees, according to the OC Register.
