SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California Executive Director
Peter V. Lee announced the appointment of Dr. Lance Lang as chief medical
officer.
Dr. Lang will be responsible for working with present and
future qualified health plans to ensure that the right care is delivered at the
right time for Covered California enrollees. In addition, Dr. Lang will help
with strategic planning to incorporate the lessons gained from his experience
with innovation work supported by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act to negotiate health plan contracts on behalf of consumers.
Since 2010, Dr.
Lang has been a private consultant in the health care industry. His clients have
included the California Quality Collaborative, a statewide consortium of
physician groups, hospitals, health plans and purchasers pooling their resources
to accelerate and improve the value of health care service delivery.
“Dr. Lang is a
great fit for us,” Lee said. “He brings to Covered California tremendous skills
that will help Covered California fulfill its role as an ‘active purchaser’
that negotiates with insurance carriers to ensure the best quality of care for our
consumers at affordable rates. Dr. Lang is a respected physician leader
who has worked with physician groups, health plans, disease management companies
and other stakeholders. His expertise ranges across the industry, with emphasis
on team-based, patient-centered care.”
Dr. Lang has also worked as the national vice president, medical
integration and quality officer for Health Net Inc.; and the vice president and
national director, clinical processes and computing, for Kaiser Permanente. And
since 2010, he has consulted for numerous respected organizations such as the
University of California, San Francisco, and the California HealthCare
Foundation.
Dr. Lang received his undergraduate degree from Pomona
College and a degree in medicine from the University of Connecticut,
Farmington. He served his residency at Duke University, Family Medicine
Residency.
The annual salary for the position is $285,000. He will
report to Anne Price, director of Covered California’s Plan Management Division.
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. 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 about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
