Ken Wood, Senior Advisor for Products, Marketing, and Health Plan Relationships
John Hiber, Chief Financial Officer
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Covered California’s Executive Director Peter V. Lee announced today that the Board has appointed John Hiber as Chief Financial Officer and that Covered California has hired Ken Wood as a consultant to serve as Senior Advisor for Products, Marketing and Health Plan Relationships. Mr. Wood, a former Chief Operating Officer of Blue Shield of California, has an extensive and unique health care background including senior leadership positions in health plans in California and across the country. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of North Hawaii Community Hospital from 2010 to 2012, and was senior advisor and board member to Vimo, Inc., a web-based health brokerage firm, from 2006 to 2009. He joined Blue Shield of California in 1995 as its Chief Marketing Officer before becoming the company’s Chief Operation Officer from 2000 to 2006.
“We are thrilled to have found a professional of Wood’s caliber to join the Covered California team,” said Executive Director Lee. “He brings a passion that embraces health care reform with a strong voice representing the consumer. Ken is an innovative and strategic leader who can help Covered California effectively partner with health plans to provide affordable health care to millions of Californians.”
In his new role at Covered California, Mr. Wood will oversee product development, development and support of Covered California’s brand, mass media and direct marketing for all programs, sales of the exchange’s employer products, and both the contractual and strategic relationships with the qualified health plans that are selected to participate in Covered California.
“I’m looking forward to helping Covered California implement the largest state exchange in the country,” said Mr. Wood. “I’ve had the distinct privilege of leading a rural hospital struggling to stay afloat so I understand the challenges our medical institutions are facing. On the health plan side, I’ve worked with employers, agents and brokers to keep employer sponsored health care as affordable as possible. In the end, we will all need to adapt as we seek to provide affordable health plan coverage to all Californians.”
John Hiber, who was appointed as Covered California’s Chief Financial Officer, previously served as the Chief Operating Officer at the California State Controller’s Office since 2009. He also hasheld executive level positions at California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 2006 to 2009, the California Treasurer’s Office from 2002 to 2006 and the California Department of Finance from 1996 to 2002.
"As our newly appointed Chief Financial Officer, John is a fantastic addition to our roster of dedicated and talented professionals,” said Mr. Lee. “With 15 years of high-level experience managing both fiscal and policy issues in state government, he is well suited to help us manage our overall financial responsibilities.”
Mr. Hiber will be responsible for managing and administering the overall financial activities of the Covered California, including its strategy for financial sustainability. The annual salary of this position is $149,000.
“I am excited to join the Covered California team, and look forward to contributing my experience and expertise to the progress towards providing California residents with quality health benefits at a fair price,” said Mr. Hiber.
About Covered California
California was the first state to create a health benefit exchange following the passage of federal health care reform. It is charged with creating a new insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses will be able to purchase competitively priced health plans using federal tax subsidies and credits in October 2013, with coverage starting in 2014.Covered California is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and Legislature; the California Health and Human Services Secretary serves as an ex officio voting member and is its current Chair.
For more information on Covered California, please visit www.healthexchange.ca.gov.
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