SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California’s Board of Directors recently announced additions to its leadership team, aimed at enhancing sustainability and expansion of the state health insurance exchange.
At the Jan. 23 board meeting, Garrison Rios was named director
of communications and marketing. It was also announced that Ana J. Matosantos will
be a Covered California adviser and that the contract of Jeffrey Rideout, senior
medical adviser, was extended for another year.
Rios has 22 years of experience in health care
administration, focusing on startups, expansions, new product development, marketing,
advertising, and sales and distribution. He most recently was director of Medicare
administration for Care1st Health Plan, based in Monterey Park. In his newly
created position at Covered California, he will lead the design, planning,
monitoring and control of communications, public relations and marketing. His
tentative start date is Feb. 3, and his annual salary is $165,000.
Matosantos, a contract consultant, will advise Covered
California leadership and staff in the areas of financial sustainability and
budgeting issues, and evaluation analytics. She previously
served as director of California's Department of Finance from 2009 to 2013,
overseeing an annual budget of more than $200 billion. She was chief fiscal adviser
to Gov. Jerry Brown during the time that the state closed an annual budget gap
of $20 billion. Matosantos has also worked at the Office of Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, the California Health and Human Services Agency and the
California State Senate. Her six-month contract is valued at $120,000.
Rideout joined Covered California in 2013 to act as an adviser in the areas of clinical quality, network management, delivery system reform and clinical and network analytics. He previously has held senior executive positions and chief medical officer positions with Cisco Systems, the TriZetto Group and Blue Shield of California. He is currently a faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business and a consulting professor at Stanford University in the Department of Health Research and Policy. His one-year contract is valued at just over $411,000.
Rideout joined Covered California in 2013 to act as an adviser in the areas of clinical quality, network management, delivery system reform and clinical and network analytics. He previously has held senior executive positions and chief medical officer positions with Cisco Systems, the TriZetto Group and Blue Shield of California. He is currently a faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business and a consulting professor at Stanford University in the Department of Health Research and Policy. His one-year contract is valued at just over $411,000.
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the
federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California, in
partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, was charged
with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small
businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. With coverage
starting in 2014, Covered California helps individuals determine whether they
are eligible for premium assistance that is available on a sliding-scale basis
to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost
Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan
that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses can
purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees
the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax
credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state
government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers.
It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature.
For more information on Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
