Healthcare losers in 2014

Many of biggest healthcare events of the year, such as Ebola's arrival in the U.S. and the VA's waitlist scandal, were not kind to the people and organizations swept up in them.

Please click here for the 2015 Healthcare Losers photo gallery. The Dec. 22, 2015 Modern Healthcare A.M. included a link to the wrong gallery. We apologize for the inconvenience. President Barack Obama: His party's midterm defeats in 2014 put the president in the position of using his veto pen to fend off attacks on the Affordable Care Act. Days later, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear another legal challenge that could hobble the law.
CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden: Frieden struck a confident tone when the first case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the U.S. emerged in Texas. After two nurses became infected with the virus, Frieden conceded the CDC's Ebola protocols for healthcare workers were insufficient and issued stronger ones.
MIT economist Jonathan Gruber: Gruber, a research consultant during the drafting of the Affordable Care Act, apologized to Congress for his videotaped comments saying Democrats relied on voters' "stupidity" to pass the law.
Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan: Berdan had the misfortune of assuming leadership of the large Texas health system just weeks before its Dallas hospital fumbled the diagnosis of Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan. The ensuing transmission of the virus to two of the hospital's nurses put the system at the center of a national debate on the readiness of U.S. providers to handle the disease.
Former Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki: Shinseki presided over the VA health system as a national scandal erupted over allegations that patients died while waiting months for care. Shinseki resigned when the department's inquiries confirmed whistle-blowers' claims about secret waitlists.
Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius: President Barack Obama stood by Sebelius for months after the miserable launch of HealthCare.gov. But she resigned in April, just as the administration claimed victory on meeting the CBO's coverage projections.
Healthcare providers in 23 states that have not expanded Medicaid: Hospitals like River Park Hospital in McMinnville, Tenn., (pictured) continued to face high costs from uncompensated care as their peers in other states began to see the financial benefits of the new coverage realized on their balance sheets.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe: McAuliffe managed to win the governorship but was blocked by Republican lawmakers from expanding Medicaid after a Democratic senator suddenly resigned and robbed McAuliffe of a key vote.
Partners HealthCare CEO Dr. Gary Gottlieb: Gottlieb, who announced this year he would step down from the Boston system, is still waiting for a judge to approve a deal with the state's attorney general to allow Partners to acquire two key hospitals. Competitors have waged fierce opposition to the expansion, and AG Martha Coakley lost her gubernatorial bid amid heavy criticism of the deal.