Utah's First Health Insurance CO-OP Receives Official Approval from State of Utah
Arches Health Plan, a non-profit health insurance company owned solely by its members, received a Certificate of Authority from the Utah Insurance Department creating Utah's first Health Insurance CO-OP.
- Napa, CA (1888PressRelease) April 23, 2013 - On March 18, 2013 Arches Health Plan, a non-profit health insurance company and CO-OP owned solely by its members, announced that it has received a Certificate of Authority from the Utah Insurance Department. The certification allows Arches Health Plan to provide health insurance in the state of Utah.
"Our insurance model is the way health care in Utah will get better," said Linn Baker, Arches chief executive officer. "We will promote and encourage a collaborative relationship between physicians and patients, which will enable Utahns to receive the type of medical care and benefits they deserve and need. This approach will give physicians more flexibility and families more affordable health insurance options."
The Certificate of Authority authorizes Arches to operate as a health maintenance organization and recognizes it as a licensed issuer of health insurance in Utah. Arches will begin offering health insurance policies to individuals and families and small and large groups in 2014. Open Enrollment will begin Oct. 1, 2013.
Arches will operate as an insurance CO-OP, which means it will be democratically controlled by its members rather than outside investors. Operating as a CO-OP allows the plan to be motivated primarily by service and meeting members' needs rather than profit. Additionally, Arches enables more direct partnership between physicians and patients in their diagnosis and treatment decisions. This patient-centered care model, in combination with the fact that Arches is member-owned, will allow for superior health care at the most competitive price possible.
Arches' executive management team provides decades of experience to the health care field as providers, legal counsel and in management positions. Below is a summary of each member's experience and expertise:
Linn Baker, Chief Executive Officer
Baker's wealth of experience in health care includes 31 years as the executive director for the State of Utah's Public Employees Health Program. He also served on the National Advisory Committee for the State Data Commissions and on the Executive Committee of the National Academy of State Health Policy, and on a number of state boards in the health care field.
Shaun Greene, Chief Operating Officer
Greene had his first professional experience with health care when he was responsible for the battalion aid station in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, while serving as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, Greene went on to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School. He later became vice president of operations at Extend Health. He has worked in three successful start-ups, including time as vice president of the Medicare Customer Care for eHealthInsurance where he built a green-field insurance operations center in Salt Lake City.
Nathan Johns, Chief Financial Officer
Johns began his career with Deloitte & Touche, LLP. He later worked as a financial analyst with IBM's Storage Division where he was quickly promoted to a position as capital financial manager with the Server and Storage Group. In 2004, Johns joined HealthEquity as a controller. While there, Johns served as secretary to the board of directors and implemented operational controls surrounding custodial funds. In 2007, he was named CFO of MCC Control Systems. Most recently Johns was a partner at ProCore Practice Management, where he oversaw payroll, benefits and account management.
Doug Floore, Chief Information Officer
Floore has more than 25 years of experience in information technology across all major areas of infrastructure, application development, project management and business analysis. He worked for nearly 20 years at IBM and EDS, both in the United States and New Zealand. His major projects have included implementing a call center solution for a multistate hospital chain and supporting a $50 million project to modernize Utah's unemployment tax and benefits system.
John Wunderli, J.D., Chief Legal Officer
Wunderli has spent the last 25 years practicing corporate law in the health care industry. He has worked as general counsel for Valley Mental Health, a behavioral health care provider specializing in mental health, substance abuse and prevention services and as an attorney for Avalon Health Care Group. His health care practice has also included Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance law. Wunderli previously served as partner in a law firm dealing primarily in real estate and finance and as general counsel for the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company. He is a member of the Utah State Bar.
For more information about Arches Health Plan and the members of its executive board, visit http://www.archeshealth.org.
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