A question of motivation

I was reading an article today on a massive penalty being pursued against a large medical insurance company. The insurance company, PacifiCare, was not paying doctors, ignoring claims, losing paperwork, etc. I started thinking about why that was - what motivates a big organization, whose primary reason to exist is to provide a valuable service to it's clients, to act in so callous a manner? I realized that it's a question of motivation.

When such an organization can feel that the money will keep rolling in regardless of how they carry out their duties, and that their clients are just "the little people" that can not do anything about their malfeasance, then the corporate attitude has no incentive to do a good job. Only if corporate leadership feels either personally invested in doing a good job, or feels that it must in order to avoid punishment later, will they act in the best interests of their clients. It's a matter of accountability.

Sound familiar? I drew the comparison to HHS immediately. They have no motivation to do their jobs properly, as a corporate entity, because the money will keep rolling into their coffers regardless of the job they do. And just like a corporation, if there is even a hint that they are getting caught not doing their jobs - harming children and families in the process - then it's all PR spin control, cover-ups, and denying any wrong doing. It's certainly not about the best interests of their clients: our children and our families.